Untimely Betrayal
by Katnz17
Summary: Months after Tommy's abrupt departure he's back and chillingly changed. The stakes have been raised, the game is set and Jude's about to be taken against her will on the adventure of a lifetime when she's betrayed by the one she trusted the most.
1. Prologue: As darkness quickly steals

_Okay, so if you read Emotionless you would have seen my mention that I was working on a new project. I'm finally getting around to posting it. Please, please, please give it a chance and have a little faith in me. hehe. It's really not your average Instant Star fanfiction and it's certainly different from anything else I've written. That being said I'm really rather excited about it and do think you guys will ultimately enjoy it. _

_Without further ado..._

**Untimely Betrayal**

Six months after Tommy's abrupt departure he's back and chillingly changed. The stakes have been raised, the game is set and Jude's about to be taken against her will on the adventure of a lifetime when she's betrayed by the one she trusted the most.

**Prologue  
"_As darkness quickly steals the light that shined within her eyes"_**

She leaned back against the cool brick wall, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly. She was so very tired.

Her eyes opened and met Christopher's as he watched her from across the room. He watched her in that same lecherous manner that made her skin crawl as his eyes roved over her. She pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around the denim clad extremities as she rested her chin on her knees, trying to lock in warmth and put a wall between her and the man across from her.

She was tired of Christopher. She was tired of fearing Christopher every waking moment of every day. He was unpredictable and volatile, like a loaded gun left a few feet from playing children – dangerous.

She glanced around the small dark room with its cracked glass windows covered by so much silt the light could barely filter through. The steady sound of water dripping through cracks in the ceiling was the only noise to break the incessant silence.

She was sick of this room; of being trapped, imprisoned and caged.

Her eyes scanned the room, despising every crack and spot until they finally fell upon the man leaning against the old wooden door. His eyes met hers with an intensity that would have once made her heart flutter but now just made her shiver.

Most of all she was sick of fearing Tom Quincy.


	2. Chapter 1: Your Little Spells

_Here's the first chapter. The first scene of this is probably the favorite thing I've ever written. I'm my own worst critic and it's like the only bit of writing of mine that I actually like. Anyway, hope you like the chapter and please continue to bear with me on all of this. hehe._

**Part 1  
"_Your little spells worked quietly..."_**

Jude shivered as she pushed open the back door of G-Major and stepped out into the deserted alleyway. It had begun to snow and perfect drops of white were falling from the sky all around her. She tucked one hand deep into her pocket and extended the other, capturing the small crystals on the palm of her hand and watching as they dissolved into miniscule drops of moisture.

She raised her face to the dark sky and closed her eyes, feeling dots of icy cold sprinkling across her features and through her hair until a noise from the alleyway behind startled her.

She glanced about; shoving her other hand into her pocket and feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "Who's there?" She called timidly as she took a step or two backward, closer to the G-Major door. She was about to flee to the warm comfort of the building when finally a figure emerged from the shadows and stepped out into the moonlight.

"Tommy," She breathed, a shaky smile dancing across her features. She took a couple of tentative steps toward him, her boots crunching into the snow, then paused five feet away, "You're back." She observed quietly, her eyes searching his.

He glanced down at his feet and kicked at the layer of snow that had covered the ground, brushing away the pure white to reveal the old cracked tarmac below. He didn't say anything.

"Tommy?" She said slowly, tilting her head to try to see his expression, "_Are_ you back?"

It had been six months since she saw him last and now he was finally here in front of her. She had so many questions, so many angry words; relieved words, heartfelt words but had yet to receive even one from him.

He lifted his head and his eyes met hers. She took a step back, there was something there… in his expression, something different, something chilling – more so then the cold air or the drops of ice that were still falling upon their heads. He shook his head ever so slightly, his eyes still on hers, "No." His voice was hollow but resonate, it echoed softly throughout the alleyway as he started walking toward her.

She wanted to run but as the urge ran through her she brushed it away, laughing inwardly at the absurdity of such a notion. This wasn't some crazed or psychotic fan – it was Tommy; her Tommy. She stood motionless, a million questions dancing in her eyes.

He reached her and clamped one hand around her upper arm. His grip was firm, almost bruising, it was unyielding and she suddenly felt trapped. She glanced up at him, "Tommy?"

He stepped behind her and placed his other hand on her shoulder, "There's a car just around the corner," He said quietly, "we're going to it. Don't try to break away, don't run, and don't try to attract attention. Calmly walk to the car and get in." As if to reinforce his words, his grip on her tightened as he steered her forward.

"Tommy?" Her voice was shaking as she tried to glance over her shoulder and see him, "Tommy, what's going on?"

He leaned in, tilting his head to the side as he leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear. His hot breath tickling against her neck was the only warmth she'd found from him that night, "Don't talk."

"Screw that," She snapped angrily, "Tommy what's going on?"

He brushed the hair away from the side of her face, his finger tips icy cold as they brushed against her skin and she found herself pulling away from his touch. He leaned forward, once again whispering chilling words into her ear, "I'm kidnapping you."

--

"**_Grey would be the color, if I had a heart…"_**

Jude was shaking as Tommy led her around the corner and the sleek black Sedan came into view. "Tommy, please." She whispered as fear rippled through her body.

"Shut up, Jude," He shoved her toward the car and she stumbled, for a heart stopping second she thought she might fall but Tommy's hand once again grabbed her arm, forcing her back to balance.

He leaned past her and opened the back door of the Sedan, "Get in."

She glanced back at the G-Major building, longing to see a familiar face but the street was absolutely deserted. She fixed her gaze on Tommy, desperately begging him to declare the whole thing a stupid joke.

"Get in." He repeated firmly.

Sighing, she slid into the backseat of the car. She quickly slid to the far side of the car and tried the door but found it locked. In the meantime Tommy had slid in beside her. He nodded to the driver who Jude hadn't noticed. "Drive." He instructed.

The driver turned around and Jude saw his face for the first time. He was young; about twenty or so and had sandy blonde hair and piercing ice cold, empty eyes. "Aren't you going to introduce me?" He asked sardonically.

"Don't mess around, Chris!" Tommy instructed angrily, "Drive!"

With a dismissive roll of his eyes Chris turned back around and a second later the car roared into life. Jude shot one last, desperate glance at G-Major as the car drove past and the beloved building disappeared from sight. She slouched in her seat, her arms folded across her chest. She was angry at herself for not running when she had the chance but the whole experience had seemed so surreal. Even now she found it hard to believe this man next to her was her Tommy, and if he was – that he was really doing the thing he said he was doing.

She shifted in her seat so her back was partially to the door and she was facing Tommy. Her arms still crossed over her chest she gazed at him, studying his profile, his hair, his clothes. He didn't look any different at first glance but something had changed. There was a new grim set to his jaw, a line or two on his forehead that hadn't been there before and his eyes… where they different or had she never really seen them before?

Tommy ignored her gaze as they drove through city block after city block. The idea occurred to Jude that she should be taking note of where they were going but the thought seemed to exhausting and she already failed to recognize the streets they were passing through.

Finally Tommy glanced at her from the corner of an eye, his head barely tilting in her direction. He didn't speak.

"That's it?" She asked.

He turned to her but didn't answer. There was a mocking tilt to his head, a cruel glittering in his eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked.

No response.

"_Why_ are you taking me?" Her voice rose a note or two.

"There are certain people who find your presence… desirable." His tone implied boredom.

"Am I in danger?" She desperately searched his face for a flicker at her words, a twitch, a shadowing to his eyes – anything that showed he didn't want her to be in danger.

He shrugged, turning to face forward once again, "Not if you don't do anything stupid."

She nodded slightly, her eyes drifting to the window as she determined away the tears that were sparkling in her eyes. She couldn't cry. She couldn't.

"So it was all a lie?" She whispered, her eyes staring at the glass separating her from the world outside; the transparent wall that trapped her. She didn't turn to gauge his reaction, she couldn't bear to.

"Yes," Was the dismissive response.

**Preview for Part 2  
"_With pretty eyed boys girls die to trust…"_**

_Jude glanced at the door then placed her clothes on the sink. Crouching down she peered through the keyhole and watched as Tommy took a few steps away from the door then stood motionless, his arms folded across her chest, his back to her. Turning back to the bathroom she glanced around the room for a key. She had no intention to shower in an unlocked room with these two dark men on the other side. _

"_There isn't a key," Tommy called through the door, "That's kind of the point."_


	3. Chapter 2: With pretty eyed boys

_One new chapter. Sorry these chapters are a little quiet but they're setting the scene. I actually started writing this story back in February but since I was working on so many stories at the time I made myself stop writing (after the second scene of this chapter) until I'd finished 'Hiding from the World' and 'Emotionless'. _

_As usual. Please continue to stick with me on this ;)_

**Part 2  
"_With pretty eyed boys girls die to trust…"_**

They reached the outskirts of the city and Tommy reached into his pocket, pulling out a black bandana. He turned to Jude and motioned for her to face away from him so he could tie the bandana. She shook her head, unconsciously shrinking away from him.

He sighed angrily and grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer to him then roughly wrapped the blindfold around her eyes. He leaned behind her and blindly tied the knot, strands of her hair getting caught with the fabric and pulling painfully. She was shaking again.

They drove well into the night. Jude had tried counting lefts and rights in a desperate attempt to keep track of the course they'd taken. She comforted herself with the fact that if she escaped she could backtrack and reverse the number in her head but she soon last track of the twists and turns. The motion of the car and the blindness induced by the bandana slowly lulled her into a sleepy state. She'd just fallen asleep, her head resting against the car door when the car stopped abruptly. The motion jolted her and she nearly tumbled to the floor.

"Is he here?" She could hear Tommy's voice.

A car door opened and eventually a distant response came back from Chris, "No, its all clear."

Another door opened and soon Jude heard footsteps at her own door. She pulled away just as it swung open and someone grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to her feet. The person held her hands behind her back as if she were handcuffed and pushed her forward, at one point warning there was a set of stairs with an almost unintelligible grunt. She tentatively stepped upward, each time anticipating her foot to fall through the air to nothing but the steps continued.

There was loud complaining screech from old hinges and the sound of a door swinging open. She was pushed forward. She guessed she was in a room, the chill wind that had been attacking her since she departed the car had now ceased and the floor beneath her feet was soft like carpet.

The person pulled her further into the room then pushed her backwards. She let out a shriek as she fell through empty space, only to connect a moment later with a soft surface. Her hands felt around her tentatively… a sofa.

"Chris?" She heard Tommy's voice on the other side of the room, from the direction she guessed she had come. He sounded annoyed.

"She's fine," came Chris's response. He was close to her, only a foot or two away and she guessed it was he who had led her from the car and inside, "I didn't do anything."

A light was switched on; though almost none filtered through the thick material of Jude's blindfold.

"Okay, take off the blindfold," Tommy's voice instructed.

Rather then untie the blindfold; Chris opted to simply pull it up and off her head, taking with it a number of strands of her long blonde hair. She winced in pain, a hand slipping to the back of her head and cradling the pain filled area. She closed her eyes tightly against the harsh, unfamiliar light and slowly blinked until her eyes became accustomed to it.

The room was old, with peeling white wallpaper and a stained carpeted floor. There were water stains in spots on the floor and running down some of the walls. She was seated in the center of the room on an old sofa; one corner of the room was a kitchen area with a mini fridge that appeared to be something from the seventies. There was a grubby sink and an old table with a few dusty wooden chairs. There were two doors on the far wall, one to her left which she assumed was the entrance she'd just come through and one directly in front of her. Tommy was leaning against the wall by the entrance door. Chris was rifling through the old fridge.

Jude placed her hands on the sofa, her fingers digging into the soft surface as she determined to breathe normally. She gazed at Tommy and found that the previously unimaginable had happened. She was scared of him. She didn't know what he would do, what he wanted or what he'd sacrifice. She didn't know _him_.

She was alone.

--

"**_Yesterday is a promise that you've broken..."_**

Tommy lifted a suitcase onto the table and opened it. He rifled around inside before pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. He tossed them in Jude's direction. She waited listlessly and eventually Tommy stood.

He walked over and put an arm on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. He'd started walking across the room, intending to pull her with him but at the motion he stopped. He gazed at her and she returned the gaze defiantly. Finally he stepped back, motioning to the two doors on the far wall, "This way." He said in clipped tones.

She glanced over her shoulder at Chris who was seated on the sofa and guzzling a beer. Slowly she followed Tommy across the room. He opened the left hand door and the doorknob squeaking in protest as it turned. She stepped into the room to see an old fashioned claw footed bathtub with a shower curtain running around it. A filthy looking toilet was against the far wall and an old ceramic basin sat beneath a small window, high on the wall.

"Shower and change into those," Tommy instructed, motioning to the clothes Jude was clutching tightly to her chest. He stepped out of the room and the door closed behind him.

Jude glanced at the door then placed her clothes on the sink. Crouching down she peered through the keyhole and watched as Tommy took a few steps away from the door then stood motionless, his arms folded across her chest, his back to her. Turning back to the bathroom she glanced around the room for a key. She had no intention to shower in an unlocked room with these two dark men on the other side.

"There isn't a key," Tommy called through the door, "That's kind of the point."

Jude froze, disturbed by the timing of his response – almost as if he'd read her mind.

"You have twenty minutes to shower and change into those clothes then I'm coming in to get you whether you're ready or not."

She glared at the door and stepped backward toward the shower, slowly turning and reaching forward to push aside the curtain when the window caught her attention. It was level with her head and small but she felt confident she could get through it at a squeeze. She raised her arms and unlatched it. There were two hinges on the side and the window was designed to swing away to the left. She pushed against the right hand side but the window refused to open, years of unuse and paint sealing it shut. She continued to desperately slam the palm of her hand against the frame as angry tears slid down her cheeks. She didn't notice how loud the pounding had become but she did notice when the bathroom door swung open, the door angrily slamming into the wall.

She spun around to see Tommy striding toward her. He grabbed her wrists, holding her arms in front of her as he leaned close to her, menacingly asking, "What did I say about not doing anything stupid?"

She leaned as far back from him as she could with her wrists still imprisoned. Her lips remained sealed shut as she refused to answer. Spotting the stubborn glimmer in her eyes and knowing his point had been taken, Tommy released her wrists and stalked back across the room, slamming the door behind him. Having been leaning away from him so dramatically Jude's body continued to tip backwards without the anchoring weight of Tommy's hold on her hands. She fell back against the cold edge of the bathtub, the metal bruising her back as she slid down to the floor.

Tommy's taunting voice drifted through the thin walls, "You now have fifteen minutes."

Crying softly Jude leapt to her feet and stripped quickly, making sure to stand against the far wall where someone peering through the keyhole wouldn't be able to see her. She pulled aside the shower curtain and suppressed a shriek as a rat bolted out of the bathtub and disappeared through a hole in the wall. She didn't dare let out a sound for fear Tommy would come to investigate. A rat wasn't worth that - not when she was stark naked.

She wasn't surprised to find the shower only ran cold but the one positive of the fact was that it forced her to wash quickly. She tilted her head back, letting the cold water wash over her, causing her skin to tingle and making her feel alert and awake for the first time since she'd gotten in the car.

She'd condemningly eyed the old bar of soap on the side of the bath that looked as if it had been sitting there for as many years as she had lived but finally from desperation used a small amount. She'd sweated from fear so much on the car ride there that she really needed it.

Turning off the assailing cold water she stepped out of the shower and scanned the room. There wasn't a towel in sight. She frowned and reached for the V-Neck sweater she'd been wearing, feeling dirty once again as she used it to dry her body.

She slipped on the clothes Tommy had provided in super speed, casting constant furtive glances at the door in fear he would barge on in when she was only half dressed. She'd just slipped the shirt over her head when there was a loud, insistent knocking at the door. It surprised Jude; she'd anticipated whoever it was to march straight in.

She marched over to the door and swung it open, determined to bring about at least one course of action in her life that night rather then having everything done for her. Tommy was standing there, leaning on the doorframe, one hand still raised mid knock. His eyes scanned over her form approvingly and she felt herself blushing from embarrassment, not pleasure. Finally he stepped back, allowing her room to get past him and exit the room. "Put your old clothes in here," He instructed as he handed her a plastic bag. "I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

--

_**"Just slow me down, slow me down, tell me tomorrow everything will be around..."**_

Jude sat on the old mattress in the middle of her bedroom. There was a window on one outfacing wall but it had been boarded. Judging by the rusted nails and early stages of rotting wood it had been boarded for a long time. The wallpaper was torn and water stained and the bare planks of wood that made up the floor where covered in a layer of dust. The mattress itself was old fashioned and lumpy and covered with what appeared to be, thank God, a clean sheet. Tommy had tossed Jude a sleeping bag when he took her into the room before closing and locking the door behind her.

She'd run over and pounded her fists against the door, demanding he return and tell her what was going on but her voice was soon drowned out by the sound of a television in the next room. She'd sighed and leaned against the door, slowly sliding down till she was sitting on the floor.

She was determined not to cry, determined to not give in to fear, determined to make it through this night. It was as they all say; one step at a time.

She now sat on her mattress, barely able to make out the floral patterns of the wallpaper through the cracks of moonlight that shone between the boards over the window. Her eyes flittered over the pattern; closely examining and memorizing every detail in a desperate attempt to distract herself from her reality.

She lay down on the mattress, pulling the sleeping bag up around her as she comforted herself with the fact that her absence would have been noticed by now. There had been a party at G-Major and she'd grudgingly attended. Though she was now humiliated by the fact; she'd been missing Tommy terribly and hadn't felt like going to a party where she was expected to laugh and enjoy herself with her friends.

She'd moped around the room, giving brief and polite responses to anyone who'd attempted to strike up a conversation. Eventually she was shunned by the partygoers who wanted to have a good time and avoided the brooding teenager skulking around the room.

She'd gone outside to get some fresh air. She figured the brisk chill of the winter night would knock some sense into her, some life back into her lungs but what she'd gotten had been something she would never have expected.

She closed her eyes tightly as she pulled the sleeping bag up over head, welcoming the dark warmth its confines provided. Tomorrow she wouldn't be so stunned, so weak and pathetic. Tomorrow she would fight back.

**Preview for Part 3  
"_You've already gone and got me mad…"_**

_Tommy turned to Chris. "Get the car ready." Turning back to Jude he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him as he left the room. "We're going for a nice drive." He remarked calmly._

"_What no morning meal?" her voice dripped with sarcasm. "This Bed and Breakfast really sucks you know."_


	4. Chapter 3: Gone and got me mad

**Part 3  
"_You've already gone and got me mad…"_**

Jude's eyes fluttered open and she felt panic welling within her at the unfamiliar surroundings. She sat up and tried to get to her feet only to get herself tangled in the sleeping bag. Just as if her hands and feet had been bound she fell forward onto the floor next to the mattress and flopped around, trying to inch herself out of the bag while her mind scrambled to remember where she was.

The painful ache of dread was eating away at her stomach and flash by flash the events of yesterday spilled into her mind. She fought the urge to cry out in anger, hurt, frustration and terror at her situation.

There was a pounding on the door followed by the angry remark, "What's that banging? This had better not be another escape attempt!"

She sat still on the floor, her arms free but the sleeping bag still tightly twisted around her legs when she heard Tommy's familiar voice, soft enough that she couldn't make out the words. She could hear his ominous footsteps approaching the door as she continued to push at the sleeping bag but it was so tightly wound she couldn't get free.

Bright morning light silhouetted Tommy's form as the door swung open. Jude blinked and shaded her eyes with one hand. The light filtering through the cracks in the bedroom was minimal and the sudden barrage of bright sunshine was blinding. "I want to go home right now, Tommy," she said firmly.

Tommy walked towards her; behind him Chris casually leaned against the doorframe, smirking at her. "Get up," Tommy instructed.

Jude cringed, "I can't. I'm stuck." She looked up to see Tommy's incredulous expression. Sighing, she continued to struggle with the sleeping bag until Tommy knelt by her feet and helped slide it off. The moment she was free she leapt to her feet and backed away from him until her back was to the wall.

"I want to go home," she repeated. Her tone was calm and assertive. She was determined not to betray her fear with even the slightest tremor.

Tommy turned to Chris. "Get the car ready." Turning back to Jude he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him as he left the room. "We're going for a nice drive," he remarked calmly.

"What no morning meal?" her voice dripped with sarcasm. "This Bed and Breakfast really sucks you know."

Her only response was Tommy's grip on her wrist tightening almost imperceptivity. Passing a cardboard box by the door of the main room, he reached down and pulled out an apple and tossed it to Jude.

A few moments later she was seated in the back of the same Sedan from last night. Once again Chris drove and Tommy sat beside her. The car doors were locked and Jude glowered in her seat. "So why don't I get the offer of driving shotgun?" she asked.

Chris glanced back at her through the rear vision mirror. "Hear that, Tom? The pretty lady wants to sit with me."

Tommy didn't respond. He had one arm propped up on the armrest of his door and was gazing out the window at the passing scenery. Jude stared at him openly for a few moments before turning to her own window. She didn't even notice when a few minutes later she mimicked Tommy's posture; one elbow on the ledge at the bottom of the window with her chin resting on the palm of her upturned palm. A frown creased her forehead as she focused on the passing farmland.

Now was the time to concoct an escape a plan, a method to fight back. She could feel the shock beginning to wear off and all that was left was a self righteous anger. Jude knew the feeling, she knew herself and she knew how reckless she could be when she felt like this. She was strong, willful and independent and it was only a matter of time before she found a way to turn this situation around.

She smiled to herself as the car slowed and pulled into a service station. For the first time since her abduction at G-Major there were once again people and cars milling about everywhere. People, civilization, it was all an opportunity.

--

"_**Singing songs that could only catch the ear of the desperate..."**_

"I need to go to the bathroom," Jude declared as Chris opened the front door of the car and climbed out. He reappeared, sticking his head into the car a second later.

"I'll take her," he offered to Tommy.

She was all sugar and spice as he opened her car door and played the gentleman; bowing ever so slightly and extending a hand to help her as she climbed out. From the interior of the car she faintly made out Tommy's mocking scoff. Chris smiled sweetly and took her hand in his. "Try anything stupid, make a scene and there'll be hell to pay." His words didn't match his lighthearted expression or casual stance and Jude had to fight her desire to pull her hand away from his. Her skin was crawling.

It was still early in the morning and the sun was still rising into the sky. The warmth it cast on the small town was halfhearted at best and Jude felt herself shivering as she walked away from the car.

She glanced about her at the various people milling around the service station. There was a grocery store nearby and a handful of shops. This was obviously the heart of a very rural town. She frowned as she sized up the people, hating herself for classifying them in her head as hillbillies. Somehow she doubted the average person would know or care who Jude Harrison was in these areas, let alone recognize her. She figured even if she couldn't make an escape now, someone recognizing her and reporting it to the police would help in tracking her down. She'd watched enough cop shows in her eighteen years to grasp that fact.

They neared the front of the service station and Chris led her around the side of the building. Up ahead was a faded old sign reading 'toilets'. Jude glanced at a bored looking twelve year old boy sitting on a bench by the front of the service station as she passed him and smiled flirtatiously. Predictably it got the boy's attention and he sat up a little straighter and smiled at the beautiful older girl that for some reason was taking the time to flirt with him.

Chris was walking ahead of Jude slightly, still holding her hand and pulling her along with him and he didn't notice as she raised her other hand and twirled her hair around her finger as she mouthed 'Hi' to the boy. Turning to face Chris' back she softly sang to herself, "Waste my time, waste my time, not so sure that I'll be yours but baby you could be mine."

There wasn't time to turn and glance back at the boy to see if he'd recognized her song. Chris spun around to face her, tugging on her hand to pull her closer to him as he did so. "What did I say about a scene?" he hissed.

Jude shrugged innocently, her eyes wide, "I'm just trying to act casual."

"Singing a hit song, your hit song, is _not_ casual."

"Oooh," she dragged out the O sound and raised her free hand to her mouth. "You don't want people to recognize me?" She nodded her head dramatically, just the once as if the idea had finally made sense. "Right, gotcha!"

Chris rolled his eyes and pushed her the rest of the way to the restrooms but not before checking if there were multiple, inhabited stalls. There wasn't. The only window in the small space was high on the wall and too small for even Jude's petite frame to fit through. "Five minutes." Chris told her.

She had a grim smile on her face as she closed the bathroom door and locked him out. She wasn't really sure if the last few minutes were a victory or a mistake. Maybe the boy had recognized her or maybe he would when he saw her face in the papers and on the news in regards to her abduction. She'd definitely angered Chris and odds were security would be heightened.

Perhaps she should have played her cards better and waited for a moment where she could do more. But then thinking out every scenario and consequence before acting hadn't really ever been Jude's strongpoint.

--

"_**She slowly swallows all her fears and soothes her mind with lies"**_

True to Chris's word; five minutes later there was an insistent rapping on the bathroom door. Jude sighed as she leaned against the cool white porcelain sink in the corner of the room and gazed at her reflection in the cracked mirror. Looking into the old glass that was losing its reflective qualities and giving off a smoky reflection, she realized it had probably been present in that restroom far longer then she'd been on this planet. She was comforted at the thought of the numerous people who would have gazed at their reflection in this very spot; some happy, some miserable, probably every emotion under the sun had examined itself in that glass but she couldn't help but wonder… had the mirror ever seen a girl in her situation before?

The knocking continued. Jude cupped her hands beneath the faucet, allowing the ice cold water to pool in her hands. It was so cold it felt as if there were small pins digging into her hands but it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling. She felt alert and alive and awake for the first time that day. She splashed the water on her face; not caring that her hair was doused along with it and that drops of water marred her clean white shirt.

Finally she squared her shoulders, sighed dejectedly and walked over to the door. The thought did enter her mind that she could just stay in this room forever. It was locked and considering how crowded it was outside; Tommy and Chris wouldn't have an easy time kicking the door in without being noticed. The fact remained, however, that considering her recent shock and betrayal; Jude didn't want to find out just what Tommy was capable of. She didn't want to push him. She didn't dare.

She slowly unlocked the door, taking her time sliding the bolt and agreeing with the rusted metal as it squeaked its protest; its voice sounding like a high pitched scream.

The moment the door was unlocked it swung open and Tommy's form was silhouetted in the morning light. He shoved her back and closed the door behind them quickly; so quickly no one could possibly have noticed.

**Preview for Part 4  
"_Just give me something to get rid of him…"_**

_She lifted her chin in something of a brief nod. "How long has Tommy been on the job?"_

_Chris's eyes had been roving over the landscape around them but at the question he turned back to her. His eyes flittered over her, almost mockingly. "More then a couple of months."_


	5. Chapter 4: Something to get rid of him

_New Chapter. Please continue to let me know what you think. I know I'm not really giving any answers at this point about what's going on. Basically the story will keep you guessing most of the way through. The final set of questions will be answered in the last chapter but I do plan to start answering a few as the story progresses._

_Things are kind of slow moving at the moment too. I hope that's not too much of a problem. Let me know okay? I value your feedback_

**Part 4  
"_Just give me something to get rid of him…"_**

Jude shrank away from Tommy; hating being in such a confined space with the one person she most wanted to distance herself from. She backed away until she felt the cool concrete wall of the stall behind her but refused to look away from Tommy. She wasn't meeting his eyes exactly, or challenging him in any way but she was refusing to be intimidated or show her fear.

"Chris told me about your little stunt back there," he remarked coldly, "Really brilliant Jude." His tone dripped with sarcasm.

She lifted her chin defiantly. "I like to think so," she murmured.

He began to pace though his movements were strangely controlled and clipped. He took a mere couple of steps before turning and going back the way he'd come, constantly glancing over at her, his eyes flashing. "I told you not to do anything stupid. Damn it, for once in your life could you just do as you're told?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, Tommy. It seems you're incapable of telling the truth, I guess I'm incapable of trusting or obeying you."

He halted his pacing abruptly and advanced on her quickly. She wanted so desperately to back away from him but she'd already gone as far as she could. She pressed her back against the wall, her palms flat against the cool surface.

He paused mere inches from her, invading her personal space and leaning his face close to hers menacingly without once breaking eye contact. Ever so casually he placed his left hand on the wall next to her head and the other level with her waist, pinning her in place, successfully trapping her without even physically touching her. "Don't trust me then," he shrugged dismissively. "Just learn to tap into your survival instincts." He leaned closer to her, so close she could feel his warm breath tickling her face and it was then she finally allowed herself to break eye contact. She closed her eyes, trying desperately to block out his face and this moment. "And _don't_ do it again." He shoved away from her then and she silently thanked God above for the newfound distance between them.

Tommy reached into his jacket and pulled out a baseball cap which he tossed to her. "Put this on." She silently complied and he looked her over for a moment before motioning with one hand for her to come closer. Unconsciously she shrank back to the wall. "Jude," he said firmly. "Come here."

Swallowing her fear she stepped over to him. He motioned for her to turn around and tentatively she did. He pulled off the baseball cap and ran his hands through her hair, scooping it together into a ponytail which he tied loosely at the back of her neck. He placed the baseball cap on her head once again and walked around till he was standing in front of her. He leaned back for a moment, once again examining her before pulling the front of the cap down so that it covered a good deal of her face.

He reached into his jacket again and pulled out a large pair of sunglasses and crouching down a little he slid them onto her face. She was surprised how gentle he was with the action. She'd half by expected him to just shove the glasses onto her face, not caring if they stabbed into her ears or gouged out an eye but he took his time and positioned them carefully before sliding them into place. She refused to read anything into the action, though. She was merchandise and he was in charge of shipping her to her destination, these people who found her presence 'desirable'. It wasn't likely the delivery of a one-eyed rock star would go down well.

He stepped back one last time and looked her over before nodding in approval. "Okay then, let's go."

--

"_**So unpredictable but still I know just what you're going to do…"**_

They drove for miles, during which time Jude wordlessly gazed at the window. She watched as the trees and fields began to blur and run together until it was just colors and vague objects flying past them, left indistinguishable by the tears pooling in her eyes.

Once again Chris was driving and Tommy was seated across from her. She pulled her feet up onto the seat at one point, halfway expecting a scolding from Tommy as she always received when she put her shoes on the chairs in his Viper or did anything that could damage his most beloved possession. This time no reprimand came.

The car began to slow and Jude sat upright on the seat, quickly brushing away the tears before anyone could notice as she peered at the stretch of road ahead. Chris turned onto a narrow dirt road that wove through a patch of pine trees and then through a large field. Jude glanced behind her as the main road disappeared from view and the distance continued to stretch. Each rotation of the wheels took her further and further from civilization and any hope of being rescued.

The car pulled up alongside an old riverbed, virtually dried up except for a small strip of river, about four feet wide that ran through the very center of the old riverbed. About a kilometer away mountains began to grow from the flat terrain and they almost seemed to lean toward Jude as she peered up at them.

Chris opened his door and got out, a moment later he opened Jude's door and motioned for her to follow suit. He hadn't said a word to her since the incident at the town and she couldn't help but notice the irritated gleam in his eyes. When she was standing outside the car he slammed the door. She fought the urge to wince.

Tommy still hadn't exited the vehicle and Jude glanced back, trying to make out his form inside the car and guess what he was doing.

"Don't get any ideas about running off," Chris said, finally breaking the silence. He pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and before Jude could react or shy away he slapped one down on her right wrist and the other on his left. Holding their chained hands up between them he motioned with his free hand to the cuffs. "This might have been negotiable if you hadn't pulled that stunt before."

The sound of a car door opening was heard as Tommy finally exited the car. He glanced over at Chris and the two seemed to communicate wordlessly. Chris nodded and started walking toward the riverbed, dragging Jude along behind him. She glanced over her shoulder to see Tommy take a few steps away from the car and pull a cell phone out of his pocket.

Chris impatiently dragged Jude over to the edge of the stream before sitting down on the dusty ground and pulling her down with him. "What are we doing?" she asked.

"We're waiting."

She sighed and turned away from him, instead fixing her gaze on the happy little stream as it tumbled past their feet. The sound of the water gurgling was comforting somehow and she closed her eyes, her ears instantly tuning in to the sounds of crickets chirping and the faint breeze rusting in the tree tops.

When she opened her eyes again she began to kick of her shoes. As she did so she glanced over her shoulder to see Tommy examine the screen on his cell phone. He took a few steps toward them, pausing at the edge of the river bank. He examined the screen and seeming happy with the display, began to dial a number. Glancing around her Jude realized just how far from civilization they were. The likelihood of getting a strong satellite signal out here was pretty slim.

She finally managed to remove her shoes, and inching forward on the seat of her pants she was eventually able to sink her feet into the shallow water. The sensation of the faint current tugging at her ankles and the smooth pebbles beneath her feet coaxed her into a false sense of security and for a brief moment she forgot where she was. Only a brief a moment.

"How long have you known Tommy?" she glanced sideways at Chris as she asked the question.

For a long moment it didn't seem as if he was going to answer and Jude wasn't surprised. Eventually he spoke up, "Since I came on the job. A couple of months."

She lifted her chin in something of a brief nod. "How long has he been on the job?"

Chris' eyes had been roving over the landscape around them but at the question he turned back to her. His eyes flittered over her, almost mockingly. "More then a couple of months."

She gritted her teeth and turned away from him, not anticipating the conversation to go any further and not feeling up to knowing any more information at this point.

Tommy's voice drifted to her on the midday breeze as he spoke to someone on the cell. "Yeah, I've got her… Yes, we're at the spot… Uh-huh… When?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her brows drifting together in a frown as her eyes scanned his body language. He was facing away from her, the cell phone pressed to one ear and his spare hand covering the other as if the breeze was making it hard to hear. He took a few steps and kicked at a loose pebble as he spoke, only once turning and glancing back at her. She looked away when he did so, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"You want to do this now?" Tommy asked into the phone.

Jude glanced at him once again as a new fear settled in the pit of her stomach. She realized this could be the moment; the drop off when she was handed over to whomever Tommy was working for or with. She found herself even more terrified of that notion then her present situation.

It wasn't as if this were her Tommy anymore, or if she really even knew anything about him but perhaps it was as they said; better the devil you knew. Tommy wasn't the person she knew but there were still things about him that hadn't changed; little mannerisms or reactions to certain situations. She could still read him, even if only fractionally.

Chris was still a mystery as were the mysterious 'others' involved with her abduction.

Tommy glanced over at her once again, still cradling the cell phone to his ear as he listened to the person speak on the other end of the line. This time Jude didn't look away. Her eyes met his and she found herself mouthing; 'don't do this.'

There was a momentary flicker of recognition in Tommy's eyes that told her he'd accurately read her lips but no other emotion was present on his face. He turned away from her once again and she was left with a river that suddenly felt icy cold and unbearable. The sounds of the crickets and the cool breeze where no longer a comfort and it even seemed as if the sky were sinking down toward her; closing her in and suffocating her with her fear.

**Preview for Part 5  
"_I found a friend or should I say a foe, said there's a few things you should know…"_**

_Jude squared her shoulders, "Well, you obviously have no problem inflicting such a situation on people. How much are you getting paid anyway?" _

_Chris turned to her, "Why? Are you offering to better it?"_

"_What if I could?"_


	6. Chapter 5: Or should I say a foe

_Here's the new chapter. Let me know what you think. I know there's still a lot of questions but someone has succesfully guessed a lot of what's going on behind the story_

**Part 5  
"_I found a friend or should I say a foe, said there's a few things you should know…"_**

Time was stretching and warping to a degree that Jude soon found herself losing touch with it. Had it been hours that had passed or mere minutes? Had she been sitting by this river for an eternity or was that just the fear and disillusionment messing with her mind?

She glanced over her shoulder. Tommy was leaning against the bonnet of the car, glowering at some random object in the far distance that only he could see. His arms were crossed over his chest, the cell phone still tightly grasped in his fingers as he occasionally glanced skyward.

"You really don't want to be here," Chris observed, dragging Jude's attention back to the man next to her as he tossed a pebble into the water and smiled to himself at the rippling effect it caused. It was the first conversation he'd initiated since their arrival.

Jude glanced over at him. She'd drawn her knees up to her chest, her arms wresting on top as her fingers drummed a beat onto her kneecaps. She frowned, "Seriously?"

He shrugged, "Fair enough. Who would, right?" He scooped up another stone and swinging his spare arm back he threw it with a lot more force. The pebble flew clear across the river, its angry path finally being obstructed by a tree on the other side of the river. It bounced against the trunk before falling forgotten to the ground.

Jude squared her shoulders, "Well, you obviously have no problem inflicting such a situation on people. How much are you getting paid anyway?"

He turned to her, meeting her gaze and not flinching. She searched his eyes but the only new detail she was able to obtain was the fact that there were flecks of gold in his blue irises. "Why? Are you offering to better it?"

She was taken aback by his answer and he took the opportunity in her speechless silence to resume his pebbled tossing. He skipped a rock and Jude gazed at the water as the smooth stone skimmed across the surface as if it were weightless. Nearly instantly the path it had made disappeared as the water's surface once again cleared. No scar was left; it was as if the rock had never existed.

"What if I could?" she asked quietly.

He smiled at her; not a sweet smile or a happy smile, simply an amused and indecisive expression. Before he could answer the silence of the countryside was interrupted. The chirping of crickets and bubbling of the stream was replaced with a thunderous whirring. Jude glanced about her until her eyes finally fell on the approaching black dot in the distance; a helicopter.

Chris stood to his feet and Jude was forced to follow. He offered her a hand and grudgingly she accepted. The river stones were treacherous beneath her feet and she teetered and nearly lost her balance until he effortlessly pulled her to her feet.

The helicopter was closer now. Jude used her free hand to attempt to pull the strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail away from her face, but the effort was useless. The wind caused by the chopper's blades tugged more strands of blonde hair loose and waved them around her face tauntingly.

The helicopter flew over their heads and slowly lowered down onto the clear field next to the car. Chris and Jude stood back as Tommy crouched down low and ran over to it. He paused a few feet from the doorway and Jude shaded her eyes with her hand as she watched a balding man in a black suit and sunglasses climb out. He walked over to Tommy and the two engaged in a shouted conversation over the angry whirring of the blades.

Finally the man handed Tommy a package and nodded before returning to the chopper. Chris tugged Jude forward and they made their way back to the car as the chopper lifted up off the ground and flew away into the distance.

"We done?" Chris called to Tommy.

Tommy had been watching the chopper fade into the distance until it was a small speck on the horizon. He turned to Chris, ignoring Jude and nodded. He tore at the brown paper from the package in his hands and Jude felt her blood run cold as he pulled out a handgun. Not seeming surprised or put off, Tommy shoved the gun into his pocket then took a second gun from the package. He tossed it to Chris who easily caught it with one hand and mirrored Tommy's action by shoving it into his pocket. He winked at Jude and started walking back to the car. She fell behind as she followed him, keeping as much distance between their bodies as the handcuffs and he would possibly allow.

Tommy peeled away the remaining brown paper from the last item in the package, screwing it up into a tight ball which he tossed into the backseat of the sedan. Jude leaned forward to peer at the object sitting on the bonnet of the car. "A video camera?" she asked.

Tommy glanced over at her, seeming to remember her presence for the first time. "Such brilliant observational skills, Jude." He handed the small handheld camera to Chris, "I believe you'll be handling this?"

Chris smiled as he examined the camera, twisting and turning it in his hands. "Top quality stuff." Expertly navigating the machine, he pressed the power switch and pulled out the viewing screen as he turned it on Jude. "Smile for the camera."

Wide eyed Jude glanced from Chris to Tommy, ignoring the camera completely as it recorded her every action. "What the hell is going on?" she finally spat.

--

"_**...and I will be haunted. This gift is my curse for now…"**_

Tommy drove on the way back, leaving Jude alone in the backseat for the first time since her abduction. She kept her eyes on the doors, waiting for the moment the central locking was turned off. She bit her lip, contemplating if she'd have the courage to jump from a moving car.

With an amused chuckle Chris turned around his chair until he was kneeling with his chest to the back of the seat. He rested the video camera on the headrest and held it steady with his hands. He turned it slightly until the lens was squared on Jude.

She glanced away from the window to stare at the camera. "Get that thing out of my face."

Chris smiled, his eyes momentarily left the viewfinder to glance up at Jude before returning to the screen. "Quite the reluctant leading lady."

"Damn right!" She leapt forward in her seat and swung her arm at the camera but Chris was too quick; he pulled back with another chuckle, leaving her fist to swipe at thin air.

"Calm down, Jude." Tommy instructed as he turned back onto the main road.

"Calm down? Are you serious? I don't know what the hell is going on here and now you're sticking a friggin' camera in my face!"

From her position in the backseat she was only able to make out his eyes in the rear view mirror. They met hers via the mirror before returning to the road. "The camera is to film you. The people we work for want to observe you; its part of the job."

"What kind of sick job is this?" she sputtered.

"That's all the information I'm willing to give." His attention was once again fully returned to the road and no matter how many curses or foul words Jude tossed in his direction, he didn't once pay her the time of day for the remainder of the ride. Angrily she kicked the back of his seat and though she noticed he flinched slightly, he in no other way acknowledged the action.

She glanced back at Chris who had filmed the entire discourse. If she'd possessed any object to hurl at him she would have but instead she determined to ignore his presence and the camera as she once again returned her attention to the passing scenery.

When they returned to the old apartment where they'd spent the previous night, Jude was once again deposited on the old dusty sofa. Chris handcuffed her before leaving the building with a nod to Tommy. She heard a car start up outside, followed by a screech of skidding wheels and gravel being tossed up against the wall of the building. The engine faded away into the waning afternoon light and Jude was once again left alone with Tommy Quincy.

--

"_**You're stubborn in your ways. Am I stubborn still in mine?"**_

A flurry of dust inspired sneezes had forced Jude from the hard old sofa to the equally hard floor in front. Moving was difficult with the handcuffs but she refused to acknowledge this. She lay on her side on the floor in front of the sofa.

Her knees where bent in front of her and one arm cushioned her head. Light from the television bathed the room in flashes of color as music videos played on screen. The volume was low and Jude's attention wasn't on the screen. She gazed at the tattered, frayed fabric of her jeans, eying the holes beginning to form in the fabric as she was bathed in dim blue light.

Tommy leaned against the wall with his arms crossed stoically over his chest. If Jude were to look beyond her knees it would be him that filled her vision but she refused. He watched the images on the TV screen listlessly, not really seeing anything but this dimly lit, confining room.

Jude shivered and he noticed from the corner of his eye. His gaze moved to her, watching as the light of the TV screen on her blonde hair seemed to give her a halo. When she shivered again, he slowly walked across the room to retrieve an old rug from the table. He walked over to Jude and threw it over her body, oh so casually.

She didn't look up or acknowledge the action and he returned to his spot against the wall. It wasn't till a moment later when the familiar opening notes of 'White Lines' began to play on the TV screen that she finally looked up from the denim blue that had filled her entire vision and awareness, to his clouded blue eyes.

On the television, her voice filled the room, sounding like some distant memory, a girl she used to be and almost couldn't remember. Her eyes fixed on Tommy's and she refused to break the gaze. Never one to back down he didn't look away. The first verse played out and still the two stared at each other.

She was desperately searching his eyes for anything recognizable, anything that indicated he was remembering the same warm memories of the song's history while he was stubbornly maintaining his cold demeanor.

Three long minutes passed as the hopeful song filled the room. Neither boy nor girl backed down in their miniature stand off. It wasn't until the last notes played and the song was replaced with the latest Fifty Cent track that Tommy finally looked away. He returned his attention to the TV screen; a muscle twitching in his jaw the only sign to betray his irritation.

"So you think it's worth it?" Jude asked over the sound of the television.

Tommy glanced over at her momentarily, as if she were too small and insignificant to warrant more than a few seconds of his attention. "What?" he asked, sounding tired of the conversation already.

"What you're doing?"

He rolled his eyes, fixing his gaze on the peeling ceiling above them, "You don't even know what I'm doing."

She shrugged her shoulders as she sat up, her back to the sofa and her cuffed hands resting on her knees, "So enlighten me."

His response was firm and unwavering, "No."

"I think that's a total cop out." she spoke angrily.

He smiled. "I'm sure you do."

She sighed, all her frustration and anger spilling into that one exhale. "Why, Tommy?"

"I'm not the puppet master. I haven't been afforded the option of telling you anymore then I already have." His shoulders rose and fell in an indifferent shrug.

The conversation was interrupted by the squealing of car tires on the gravel outside. Tommy cautiously crossed the room and pushed aside a curtain to peer out a window. He turned back to Jude. "So I'm guessing you're not going to be happy about this but we have two options here; we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's up to you."

She gazed at him incredulously as the sound of approaching footsteps climbing the stairs outside filled the night air.

**Preview for Part 6  
"_Braids have been untied as ribbons fall away…"_**

_Tommy advanced toward Jude and instead of backing away or shrinking in place she walked over to meet him. She paused a mere foot away from him, invading his personal space, their faces mere inches apart. "What is it?" She asked calmly. _

_He quirked an eyebrow, amused by her defiant attitude and handed the bag to her. With some difficulty she managed to open it and peer inside. _


	7. Chapter 6: Braids have been Untied

_Here's the new chapter. Hope you like it. Comment please!_

**Part 6  
"_Braids have been untied as ribbons fall away…"_**

Jude climbed to her feet, silently cursing the confining presence of handcuffs and the vulnerable feelings they afforded her. She glanced up as the front door opened and a rush of icy wind howled through the apartment with it. She closed her eyes briefly as the breeze caressed her face before merging with the warmth of the apartment as if it had never existed.

She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or alarmed to see that it was Chris who kicked off muddy boots and handed Tommy a plastic bag as he closed the door behind him. He tipped an imaginary hat to Jude in greeting before retrieving a can of beer from the old fridge. He cracked it open and sat down at the table, casually swinging his feet up on the tabletop and reclining in place.

"I thought the lady might like some variety," he informed Tommy as he glanced inside the bag.

Tommy smirked, "How very thoughtful."

Tommy advanced toward Jude and instead of backing away or shrinking in place she walked over to meet him. She paused a mere foot away from him, invading his personal space, their faces mere inches apart. "What is it?" she asked calmly.

He quirked an eyebrow, amused by her defiant attitude and handed the bag to her. With some difficulty she managed to open it and peer inside. Her eyes returned to his. "Hair dye?" she asked incredulously.

"Berry red, Awesome Auburn and Midnight black, to be exact," Chris remarked from his spot at the table. He took another swig of beer, quickly downing the remaining contents then crushed the can in his fist before hurling it at a trash can in the corner.

"You're dying your hair." Tommy informed her. He took a key from a chain around his neck and unlocked her handcuffs, then putting a hand on her upper arm and attempted to lead her toward the bathroom.

"Actually, I'm not." She tried to dig her feet into the floor, refusing to take a step but Tommy wasn't at all disconcerted. Effortlessly he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder as he marched to the bathroom.

Jude caught one last glimpse of Chris before the door closed. He smiled, waved and called out, "Personally I think the Awesome Auburn would look just, well… awesome on you."

--

"_**You know, sometimes I just wanna bash in your teeth…"**_

"Put me down, Tommy!" Jude yelled as she kicked angrily, her knees connecting with Tommy's chest in what would certainly lead to later bruising. Her fists mirrored her feet as they pounded into his back. For her small size she was actually causing a great deal of difficulty. Finally, when the bathroom door swung shut behind them he released his hold of her and she quickly slid to the ground.

She took a step back, straightened her hair then crossed her arms over her chest. "I am not dying my hair!"

"It's a necessity that isn't negotiable. Its camouflage my dear." He spoke in a condescending manner that set her blood to boiling.

"Is this why you took my clothes yesterday?"

He nodded and took the bag from her hand. "When a missing person report is filed it will detail your appearance when last seen. Your attire included."

She gritted her teeth. "Those were my favorite pair of jeans."

"Such a tragedy." He rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm not going to help you hide me."

Ignoring her defiance and angering her with the attitude that implied what she wanted meant absolutely nothing; he strolled over to the window. He took out the boxes of dye and placed them side by side on the windowsill then glanced over at her. She was glancing about nervously, determining to keep her shoulders square and her eyes defiant.

He held up one box in front of him, eyeing the picture of the model on the cover then Jude's face. He shook his head and returned that box to the shelf before grabbing another. With each box he examined the model and Jude before finally deciding on a color that seemed a perfect fit. "Awesome Auburn it is."

Jude uttered a foul word in his direction and his eyes rose at the familiar word that sounded so unfamiliar from her tongue. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

She shook her head, "Just a couple of boys. One of whom I especially regret." She glared at him in a pointed manner that left no doubt as to which male she was referring to.

He smirked as he opened the box and took out the various bottles of solutions. "Maybe he wasn't too thrilled either."

She scoffed unbelievingly then began to pace in the small half of the room she occupied. She was frustrated that despite her defiant stance she was keenly aware that she wasn't actually doing anything to prevent the action. She scanned the room in search of some sort of weapon but save an old cake of soap, it was bare.

Tommy finished preparing the dye as an idea occurred. There was a moment's hesitation that was soon discarded as she quickly moved over to him and grabbed the small bottle from his hands. "I'll do it." she said in explanation.

He nodded in consent and turned to face her. At that exact moment she held the bottle in front of her, nozzle facing toward him like a gun as she squeezed tightly, sending the strong chemical flying at his face.

He let out an angry and startled yell as his hands quickly moved to his face to protect from the stinging dye. She heard yelling in the next room, followed by approaching footsteps. A second later Chris was in the room and quickly advancing to fill her vision as he moved toward her.

Knowing she was trapped and having it only stoke her feelings of anger and betrayal, Jude dove at Tommy. His eyes were tightly closed in an effort to keep out the dye so he didn't see her coming. His balance was off and his hands still tightly gripped his face so when her weight landed on him he was unable to steady himself. He fell backward, crashing into the floor loudly and just narrowly missing knocking his head into the edge of the bath tub.

"I hate you!" Jude screamed as she punched his chest with has much force as she could muster. She was afforded a moment's satisfaction as he groaned at the impact.

A second later, Chris' arms wrapped around her abdomen, pulling her back as she kicked and screamed and flailed her arms. Effortlessly he picked her up and off the ground as he pulled her out of the bathroom.

--

"_**Drop everything, start it all over, remember more then you'd like to forget…"**_

"I thought girl's liked make-over's." Chris joked as he tugged Jude across the room and to the kitchen area. As he passed the table he reached for the set of handcuffs. Setting her down next to the fridge he looped one handcuff through the old fashioned handle of the fridge and the other around her wrist. "I guess I'll go check on your boy toy."

She glared daggers after him as he crossed the room and entered the bathroom. Through the open door she could see Tommy slowly rising to his knees and groping around blindly for the bathtub.

Chris knelt down in front of him. "Well, who'd have thought the little thing had so much fight in her? She really did a number on you."

"Just help me!" Tommy instructed angrily, his eyes still shut to keep out the dye that was staining his face.

Chris nodded and helped pull him to his feet. He guided him over to the sink and started running the water. Tommy was able to wash the dye away from his eyes before finally daring to open them. He gazed at himself in the old cracked mirror, slowly blinking his eyes and opening them wide to examine the damage.

"Did she get you?" Chris asked.

Tommy flinched and used one finger to tug his lower right eyelid down so he could get a better view of his eyeball. It was red and bloodshot. "Just a little." He slapped his hands down against the basin and swore loudly. He turned to look out the door to where Jude was desperately tugging at the fridge, trying to either break her handcuffs or tug the overweight item across the room. "For goodness sake!" he yelled at her, "Just give it up already!"

Hearing his voice, her head snapped around to face him. She eyed him wearily, unsure of what to expect in retaliation for her actions. He turned away from her, and took a few steps back toward the window. He kicked the wall angrily before grabbing another box of hair dye from the windowsill. He tore it open, shooting one last angry glance in her direction before repeating the process of mixing the chemicals.

Tommy Quincy wasn't one to admit defeat.

**Preview for Part 7  
"_Give in to the given and put out the light…"_**

_Bracing one foot against the wall beneath the window she began to tug. Bit by bit the board continued to pull away from the window. Every few minutes she would pause and brush away the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead, while listening intently for any motion in the next room that would betray her actions had been guessed. None ever came._


	8. Chapter 7: Give in to the given

_Sorry things are a little quiet. I'm surprised how slow moving this story is. Heads up: As far as I'm concerned 'Untimely Betrayal' hasn't even started a yet. There's a point in the story that's coming up (but I'm still not sure how many chapters) in which everything really kicks in. I'm really looking forward to it. _

_This chapter is dedicated to Tiffy on her birthday._

**Part 7  
"_Give in to the given and put out the light…"_**

Jude was amused to discover Tommy treated her with a newfound wariness when Chris returned her to the bathroom. Tommy was leaning against the wall next to the window, his arms across his chest. "You wanted negotiations? Fine. How about you let us dye your hair and we actually let you eat today?"

She paused. Other then the apple for breakfast she hadn't eaten all day. She could already feel the hunger eating away at her insides. Sighing, she nodded her head in consent.

Tommy nodded to Chris, "You can go."

Chris's eyebrows rose, "You sure about that?"

Jude couldn't hide the small smile that drifted onto her face at the remark. It earned a glare from Tommy who waved a hand dismissingly at Chris. "I can handle it."

Chris left the room, chuckling to himself as he closed the door behind him. Jude turned to Tommy, "I can do it myself." She held her hand out for the dye but he shook his head.

"Not a chance in hell."

"Whatever." She turned on the shower and stuck her head under the running water long enough for it to be saturated. She then turned back to Tommy. Droplets of water fell from her hair and pooled on her shoulders and the floor as she stared at him expectantly. "Towel?"

He glanced around but as with the night before there wasn't a towel in sight. "Great," he muttered. Finally he just opted to pull off his over shirt, leaving him standing in just a t-shirt in the chilly room.

He handed the shirt to Jude who shrugged concomitantly and began to dry her hair with it. When the process was complete she sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "Try not to get any on my skin please," she directed as Tommy began to apply the black dye to her head.

He smirked, allowing a drop of dye to spill down over her forehead as the words were still being uttered. She angrily brushed it away with his shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry. That wasn't your favorite shirt was it?" she asked, holding up the shirt to reveal the new black stain.

He gritted his teeth and continued to apply the dye.

--

"_**I'm glad I'm not a pretty girl..."**_

When the dying process was finally complete, Jude gazed at her reflection in the old cracked mirror. Her hair hung in damp locks around her face, each a shocking dark brown that left her doing a double take. The color made her features stand out more dramatically and highlighted just how pale her skin was. Her eyes leapt out at her as she stared, wide-eyed into the mirror.

Tommy paused behind her having picked up his damp, stained shirt, the box of dye, bottle and gloves. "For what it's worth. It looks great on you."

She lowered her eyes from his, staring at the cracked porcelain of the sink as icy water washed away the last droplets of dye that had been clinging to the white surface. She paused in the room after Tommy left before finally pushing away from the sink and running her hands through her hair.

Tommy certainly had achieved his goal. Not even Sadie or Jamie would recognize her from a distance. Her face was the same but the dark hair so effectively hid it that someone would have to give more then a passing glance to recognize her.

She walked out into the main room, closing the bathroom door quietly behind her. She turned to see Tommy making a sandwich in the kitchen area and Chris sitting in front of the TV. At the sound of the door closing, Chris looked up at her. He whistled, raising his eyebrows, "Wow, hot."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm sure I'd blush, that is… if I cared." She turned back to Tommy who had placed the sandwich on an old chipped plate on the table. "That for me?"

He nodded. "As agreed."

Jude sat down to eat her sandwich, sighing in frustration as Chris turned around on the sofa and fixed the video camera on her.

--

"_**It's dark I know but then again it's the brightest thing I've got…" **_

Still completely in the dark about the reasons of her abduction, Jude was once again deposited in her damp, dark bedroom for the night. She flicked on the light switch to no avail. Glancing up at the ceiling she wasn't surprised to see there wasn't even a light bulb in the fitting. The moon was bright that night and a few shafts of light managed to spill in through the planks of wood covering the window.

Squaring her shoulders she walked over to the window, eyeing each plank of wood until she spotted one that seemed a little loose. She tugged at the plank of wood, feeling the muscles in her arms straining and stretching. She was about to give up and deem the attempt hopeless when she felt the slightest movement, accompanied by a slight squeak as the rusted old nail began to slide out of the wood.

Bracing one foot against the wall beneath the window she began to tug. Bit by bit the board continued to pull away from the window. Every few minutes she would pause and brush away the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead, while listening intently for any motion in the next room that would betray her actions had been guessed. None ever came.

Finally with one last, massive tug the board came loose of the window. The release was so unexpected that she found herself floundering backward, waving her arms and stepping backward as she desperately tried to regain her balance. The plank of wood slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor with a loud thunk. She froze, her ears alert to any movement in the next room.

Her heart fell as she heard the scraping of a chair sliding back and footsteps approaching. She grabbed the plank with shaking hands and desperately tried to reattach it to the wall and make it appear as if it hadn't been tampered with. She was still doing this when the door swung open and Tommy stepped inside. She glanced over her shoulder at him, feeling like the child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The words that slipped out of her mouth surprised her, "I'm sorry."

He gazed at her silently as he let the door slowly swing shut behind him. Jude lowered the plank of wood and slowly placed it on the floor. Her arms were aching from the physical exertion and her chest rose and fell as she inhaled deeply. "I wasn't trying to escape," she explained quickly, the words running together, almost unintelligible in her haste to get them out, "I just… I just wanted a little more light and something to look at."

Still silent, Tommy walked over to her. He paused beside her, facing the window, his hands in the pocket of his jacket. He gazed through the hole left exposed by the plank of wood, through the window and out into the stormy night. Jude glanced at him then slowly turned so she too was facing out the window.

They were silent for a moment until Tommy spoke, "It's a three story drop from here anyway. You'd break your neck if you tried anything." He turned and walked away; pausing briefly he returned and picked up the plank of wood. His eyes met hers briefly and she could have sworn she saw the slightest sparkle and faintest grin as he took what she undoubtedly would have later used as a weapon on him. He knew her too well.

Tommy paused at the door, holding it open with one hand as he stood just inside the threshold. "Get some sleep. You've got a big day ahead of you."

She noticed Chris filming her reaction from across the room, his ever present camera in hand.

**Preview for Part 8  
"_Can you save me from this world of mine before I get myself arrested with these expectations…"_**

"_You know, I don't buy it," Jude remarked as Tommy gripped her wrist tightly, helping her balance. _

"_Don't buy what?" he sighed. _

"_This whole indifferent jackass act." She glanced over in time to see his head snap around to gaze at her. "I don't think you're that heartless. You were concerned about me back there, last night I almost blinded you and you didn't do anything. I don't buy it." _


	9. Chapter 8: These Expectations

_So I'm kind of nervous about your reaction to the end of this chapter. Let me know what you think._

_Research for this chapter involved putting my hand in a bucket of ice for half a minute. Not fun..._

**Part 8  
"_Can you save me from this world of mine before I get myself arrested with these expectations…"_**

Jude successfully managed to disentangle herself from her sleeping bag long before Tommy knocked on her door the next morning. She was sitting on her mattress, her knees pulled up to her chest as she watched a cockroach scamper across the hardwood floor.

"Up," was all he said the brief moment he stuck his head in the door.

She glanced up and glared at the partially ajar door he'd previously occupied. As slowly as she possibly could, she stood to her feet and walked across the floor. She paused, where the cockroach had frozen a few feet from the wall. She lifted her foot and positioned it above the small insect, fully intending to crush it, before shaking her head and moving her foot. "Good lucky buddy," she murmured as the insect scampered off. "We both need it."

Chris was once again at his spot on the sofa, video camera in hand as he watched Jude through the viewfinder, rather than actually looking at her. "Morning pretty lady," He glanced up briefly to flash her a charming small then moved the camera to follow her as she crossed the room. Occasionally she'd shoot a wary glance at the camera, unable to completely ignore it.

Tommy was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. A place was set with a plate of toast and a jar of jam nearby. Jude was too hungry to pause and ask if it was intended for her. She pulled the chair out and sat down quickly. She opened the can and picked up the knife as she glanced at Tommy, "Well aren't you just Mr. Domestic today. What's next; actual towels in the bathroom?"

She could have sworn there was a slight twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips but his expression implied boredom as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip. He swallowed. "There's a change of clothes for you in the bathroom. You have twenty minutes to shower and get ready then we're leaving."

She swallowed slowly, feeling the food grudgingly slide down her throat. She was experiencing a horrible choking sensation and it had nothing to do with the food. "Where are we going?" she asked.

He glanced at his watch. "Nineteen minutes, thirty seconds…"

She rolled her eyes and pushed her chair back noisily. Shoving one piece of toast into her mouth she picked up the other and crossed the room to the bathroom. "Tommy Quincy, ever the master of avoidance," she muttered loudly as she closed the door behind her, "At least some things haven't changed."

--

"_**Hey, what's it to ya?"**_

Jude picked at a speck of lint on her black leggings as the car slowly drove down the road. The new clothes Tommy had provided weren't exactly fashion approved but they were warm and on an icy day where the drizzle couldn't remain in one state – frozen or liquid. She was thankful for any warmth she could get.

She tilted her head to gaze out the window and up at the overcast sky. A storm had blown in the previous night, battering at the ramshackle building they were residing in and at times sounding so ferocious she wondered if it would lift the entire roof off. Fresh snow covered the fields and clung to treetops and the road was icy after the early morning snow plows had cleared it of snow.

Tommy was driving again. Occasionally Chris would turn around in his seat and fix the camera on Jude before returning his attention to the road. He and Tommy would talk in hushed tones and despite leaning forward in her seat and listening intently; she wasn't able to make out what they were saying over the splashing of water against the side of the car.

She had just leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes when Chris once again turned around in his seat. She cracked one eyelid to gaze at him questioningly as he opened the viewfinder and positioned the camera. "So, Miss. Harrison: How are you today?"

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely," he shaded the lens with his hands, "How are you feeling? What are your reactions to everything that's happening? What do you want to do?"

Jude glanced around her, noticing Tommy glance back at her through the rear view mirror before returning his attention to the road. "What are you? Some kind of documentary film maker?" Jude asked, "You realize if you're planning to submit this to Sundance you're probably going to get arrested…"

He glanced up from the viewfinder to smirk at her, "Awe. Look at you; looking out for me and giving advice. You must really care Jude, I'm flattered." He winked. "Now if you could answer the questions."

She leaned forward in her seat so quickly the seat belt locked, holding her back. "The first thing I want to do is rip that camera into pieces and hurl into a lake."

Chris motioned out the window and Jude noticed for the first time that they were pulling off the deserted road alongside a partially iced over lake. "Here's your chance."

--

"_**It's suddenly colder, it bowled me right over and then again, I suppose it's over now…"**_

Jude shoved her hands deep into the pocket of her jacket as she watched her breath drift away in the icy morning air. She was grateful for the fact that neither Tommy nor Chris had moved to handcuff her but as she gazed about the barren landscape surrounding the lake she realized there really wasn't anywhere to run.

"Come on," Tommy took her arm and led her around the edge of the lake. In the distance she could see a jetty extending out over the frosted surface of the lake.

"Slow down," she muttered as her foot sank into a deep hole which had been hidden by the snow. She felt herself begin to topple forward until Tommy's arms wrapped around her waist and helped her right herself.

Glancing over her shoulder she saw that Chris was following a few feet behind, the camera in his hands as he walked slowly and focused on keeping it steady.

"I figure it's pointless to ask but what are we doing here?" She glanced over at Tommy, once again seeing that unreadable, emotionless expression on his face.

"Enjoying the view?" he suggested.

She took one hand from her pocket and pulled the collar of her jacket up higher so it covered her neck. "Seen it, done that, can we go back to the car now?" She tripped on a stick hidden beneath the snow and this time Tommy wasn't quick enough to catch her as she fell forward. The snow was soft as she crashed down onto it. Somehow it was strangely comforting, even as the icy water began to soak through her leggings.

Tommy crouched down next to her as she slowly sat up and moved her ankle about, testing for an injury. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, biting her lip, "I'm fine." She glanced up at him and for a brief moment she could have sworn she saw genuine concern in his eyes. He offered her a hand and helped pull her to her feet.

The jetty was only a foot higher then the surface of the lake and extended out a good fifty feet into the water. Tommy stepped onto it first, moving slowly and testing the surface before motioning for Jude to follow.

Though her instincts screamed at her that an icy jetty above an icy lake was a bad idea, she followed slowly. Chris was only a few feet behind them, camera still in hands.

"You know, I don't buy it," Jude remarked as Tommy gripped her wrist tightly, helping her balance.

"Don't buy what?" he sighed.

"This whole indifferent jackass act." She glanced over in time to see his head snap around to gaze at her. "I don't think you're that heartless. You were concerned about me back there, last night I almost blinded you and you didn't do anything. I don't buy it."

Tommy's eyes flashed as he froze in place beside her. His hand slid from her wrist as he turned to face her. Closing the small distance between them he leaned toward her menacingly. She took a step back, suddenly second guessing her accusations. "You're seriously that naïve?"

She shook her head, "This isn't you."

He shook his head defiantly, "Actually it is!" His hand shot out suddenly, connecting with her shoulder and shoved her backward toward the edge of the jetty and the lake's icy surface. Her footing was already unstable and as she stepped backward to regain her balance, she felt her other foot slide beneath her.

She waved her arms wildly in an attempt to balance herself, letting out a startled cry as she felt herself begin to fall backwards. The last thing she saw was Tommy's emotionless expression as he watched her fall. For a moment he seemed to lunge forward in an attempt to catch her but at the last minute he held himself back, his fingertips connecting with only air. Seconds later her back connected with the thin, transparent layer of ice on the lake's surface, breaking it instantly as her entire body disappeared under the water's surface.

**Preview for Part 9  
"_It never was time for us; it never was time to let me in…"_**

_Jude couldn't think as the icy cold water attacked her body. It felt like ruthless knives slashing at her skin and icy fists pounding into her ribcage, constricting and tightening to knock all of the air from her lungs. She couldn't focus on anything other then the cold as she splashed about, trying to figure out which way was up._


	10. Chapter 9: Never was a time for us

_This chapter is still a little slow but it's the catalyst that ultimately (I hope) will speed up the story and begin to answer your questions so continue to bear with me. _

_One question. Which of the following would you prefer?  
Longer updates but bigger waits in between chapters?  
or  
Smaller updates (like we've had so far) with less of a wait in between chapters?_

**Part 9  
"_It never was time for us; it never was time to let me in…"_**

It hurt. It hurt so much.

Jude couldn't think as the icy cold water attacked her body. It felt like ruthless knives slashing at her skin and icy fists pounding into her ribcage, constricting and tightening to knock all of the air from her lungs. She couldn't focus on anything other then the cold as she splashed about, trying to figure out which way was up.

Finally she spotted rays of light filtering down and she began to kick toward the surface. At first it appeared as if she were making no progress and the distance was growing rather then shrinking until she finally broke through the surface, gasping for air.

She treaded water desperately as panic began to well up inside her; she couldn't breath. There were icy arms clamped around her ribs, holding so tightly she couldn't inhale. The pressure was unbearable.

"What the hell where you thinking, Tom?" Chris' horrified voice was the first thing she was able to focus on other than the pain.

She spun around to find herself several feet from the dock. Chris was kneeling by the edge, holding on to a support beam with one hand as he reached out for her with the other. She could feel herself beginning to shiver uncontrollably as she waded toward him, her hands connecting with shards of ice floating on the surface as she finally closed the small gap.

Chris leaned out so far over the edge of the dock she felt a momentary panic that he'd fall in too but finally his hand grasped her fingertips and pulled her closer. Tugging on her arm and shirt he was able to pull her half way out of the water. Tommy was there to take her from him and seconds later she was lying on the icy wood, shivering and gasping for air.

Chris knelt down next to her and pulled her up into a sitting position. He quickly pulled her drenched jacket off her shaking shoulders and threw the wet material aside. Tommy stepped forward and shrugged off his leather jacket which he handed to Chris.

Jude barely noticed when the dry material was wrapped around her shoulders. She was finding it hard to focus on anything. Already her skin was appearing white and her lips had turned an almost transparent shade of blue. She could see her breath floating before her in the morning air as she gasped for air, resorting to breathing through her mouth.

She caught a brief glimpse of Tommy's shocked face as Chris pulled her to her feet then picked her up off the ground. She didn't have the energy to hold her head up and feeling some form of defeat she let her head rest on Chris's shoulder as he ran toward the car.

Tommy had gone ahead and by the time they reached the car the engine was idling and he was waiting behind the wheel. Chris opened the back door and carefully set Jude down on the seat before getting in beside her. With a squeal of car tires and a spray of shingle the car roared out onto the road. Jude was barely aware that Chris had wrapped his arms around her, tightly holding her close to him an attempt to warm her with his own body heat.

As her eyes closed she faintly remembered learning about hypothermia in school. Despite the common use of another person's body heat in film and television the teacher had advised it was dangerous for the person providing warmth. She didn't care if Chris got hypothermia and died along with her but she didn't like the thought of being left alone with Tommy.

If the cold hadn't made it impossible to form tears she would have shed a few at the realization of just how wrong about him she'd been.

--

_**"And I have earned my disillusionment…"**_

Jude was lying on the sofa, still in her damp clothes but beneath blankets as she shivered uncontrollably. Somewhere on the journey back Tommy had regained his voice and awareness and was now hurrying about the room in search of ways to warm her up.

"We'll fill the bath with hot water." Chris suggested but Tommy shook his head.

"No. She'll go into shock. Start out with it cold and gradually warm it up."

Chris nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. Moment's later the sound of running water filled the room. Jude clutched her shaking hands close to her mouth and breathed on them in an attempt to regain feeling in the extremities. Wide eyed she watched the two men race about the room.

"We need to get her out of those wet clothes." Chris remarked.

Instantly Tommy spun to face him, an icy glare darkening his features. "Don't even think about it."

Chris threw his hands up, a nervous grin sliding onto his face, "Hey, I didn't mean that in a perverted way!"

Tommy walked to the bathroom to check the water. "Besides, she's getting wet again anyway." He returned and walked over to Jude. She groaned at the thought of cold water as he gently slid an arm under her knees and one beneath her back and quickly lifted her up off the sofa.

"Don't touch me," she murmured quietly, still struggling to pull away from him even though she knew in her heart what he was currently attempting to do.

"I'm trying to help you Jude."

"If I recall correctly," she shivered uncontrollably, her words cut off momentarily as her teeth chattered together, "You're the reason I'm in this mess."

She wondered if he took some sick pleasure from her cry of pain as he dumped her into the cool bathtub. She grasped the slippery porcelain sides, as her shoulders slid beneath the water. Surprisingly she felt better. The water was cold but felt so much warmer then the lake.

Gradually over the next few minutes Tommy would run a little hot water into the bath and the temperature changed from cold to lukewarm. He retrieved a bowl from the kitchen and filled it with warm water, urging her to lean back slightly he tipped the warm water over the back of her head, warming her skull and helping her regain some control over her haphazard thoughts.

Chris slipped into the room, a mug in his hands. "I've got coffee." he explained to Tommy, "I put a lot of milk in so it's not too hot."

Tommy nodded, not turning away from Jude as he waved Chris away. "Go get the fire started and move her mattress in next to it."

When Chris had left Tommy held the mug to Jude's lips, allowing her to slowly drink the warm liquid. She closed her eyes as she felt it run down her throat and through her body, gradually warming her from the inside. She'd finally stopped shaking uncontrollably and she could feel her toes and fingers again.

Feeling the urgency dissipating Tommy leaned back until he was sitting on the floor beside the bath. He ran some more hot water without looking at her then ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered so softly she almost believed she didn't hear.

--

"_**Take it from me we don't give sympathy, you can trust me; trust nobody…"**_

Tommy eventually left her side, allowing her to finish her bath in privacy. He did return at one point with some warm clothes which he slipped just inside the door. A few moments later he returned again, with a soft tap on the door before depositing a towel on top of the clothes. Had the situation been any different Jude would have smiled. As it was she slid down into the water until it came up to just below her nose. Her clothes billowed around her beneath the water's surface, an inky black to the transparent greenish blue.

Finally she stepped out of the bath, watching the water cascade from her body and pool on the floor as she pulled off the wet clothes, dried herself and put on the fresh ones.

In the lounge she found her mattress and sleeping bag lying on the floor in front of a fireplace she'd never noticed. She spotted a plank of wood leaning against the wall and realized it must have been boarded up.

"We need to get your hair dry," Tommy explained. "I've got a hair dryer in my room," Tommy motioned for her to follow him but she shook her head. She glanced over her shoulder to see Chris watching from the kitchen area.

"Bring it in here," she requested. She didn't want to be alone with Tommy again.

When her hair was dry she slid into the mattress without a word to her captors. She pulled the blanket up high around her shoulders and savored the warmth of the fireplace as the light from the flames danced across her. Sinking her head deep into the pillow she closed her eyes. She was drifting to sleep when she heard Chris and Tommy talking in hushed tones on the other side of the room.

"What the hell was that?" Chris asked angrily.

"Just drop it."

"What where we supposed to tell him if your little stunt turned bad? 'I guess someone must have told her to jump into a lake once and she took it a little too literally and died of hypothermia?' What would we have done?"

"She's fine. Let's just leave it at that."

"Yeah, no thanks to you. To think you used to be her mentor. You're a colder man then I ever gave you credit for Quincy."

**Preview for Part 10  
"_I say burn all your bridges while you still have control of the flame…"_**

_Chris turned to look at her. "Like I said yesterday; double what they're paying me and I'll take you back to Toronto."_

_She gazed at him silently before asking, "How do I know I can trust you?"_


	11. Chapter 10: Burn all your bridges

_I'm having dramas with my laptop that are making writing for my fanfictions quite difficult but I'd managed to write this up before it all happened. I think we're nearing that point in the story when everything kicks into a higher gear._

_Please comment! _

**Part 10  
"_I say burn all your bridges while you still have control of the flame…"_**

When Jude woke up a few hours later, Tommy and Chris were once again talking in hushed tones. She had her back to both men and as a result neither noticed when her eyes fluttered open, blinking in the midday light that filtered through the filthy windows. Staying perfectly still she listened intently to their conversation.

"She's hardly had anything to eat these last couple of days," Chris was saying, "The least we could do is get her a decent hot meal."

"Fine." It was Tommy's voice. She heard light footsteps and guessed someone was pacing. "You go get takeout or something."

Chris laughed, "I don't think she wants to be left alone with you."

The footsteps advanced forward at the same moment as Tommy angrily responded, "And _I_ don't want to leave her alone with you."

Tossing aside her façade of slumber, Jude rolled over on the mattress to gaze at the two of them with wide blue eyes. Chris was casually leaning against the table while Tommy leaned toward him threateningly. Chris didn't appear phased. At her movement the two glanced over to Jude's nest by the fireplace.

"Well, well, sleeping beauty awakens," Chris smiled and winked, "How are you feeling?"

She slowly sat up, leaning her upper body weight on one arm as she ran a hand through her tangled brown hair and blinked sleepily. She didn't answer.

Tommy turned away from Jude and grabbed a set of keys from the kitchen table. He offered them to Chris, "Go get something for lunch."

"No." Jude's voice sounded unfamiliar to her own ears. It was deeper and scratchier and there was a tickling in the back of the throat, not dissimilar to the one she'd experience when she was coming down with a cold. Tommy glanced over, an expression that could have been pained or irritated on his features at the sound of her voice. "I want Chris to stay."

Closing his fist tightly around the keys Tommy turned to face her, "You don't get to make that call."

"Considering you tried to kill me a couple of hours ago, allowing me one small decision is the least you could do," she suggested coldly as she gazed at him accusingly.

He threw his eyes skyward, a frustrated scoffing sound slipping from his lips before he argued, "I did not try to kill you."

Leaning back with the blanket still covering her legs, she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. "No. Because shoving someone in a frozen lake is said to be great for one's health."

Shoving away from the sofa Chris walked over to Tommy, cutting him off as he had begun to angrily advance toward Jude. Chris put a hand on his shoulder, blocking Tommy's vision of Jude as he spoke quietly, "Just go okay? It won't take long."

Tommy looked as if he wanted to argue further as he glared at Chris and glanced over his shoulder at Jude. Finally he shrugged his shoulders dramatically and spun away from the two. "Fine," he remarked before marching out the front door and slamming it firmly behind him.

--

"_**Stop this train; I want to get off and go home again…"**_

Jude sat with her back to the room and her face to the fireplace. She'd unzipped her sleeping bag, making it a large blanket which she'd wrapped around her shoulders. The heat from the fire left her skin flushed and tingling but still didn't completely chase away the slight shiver that would occasionally run through her, either at the memory of the day's events or the residue of the ice water's effects.

She heard footsteps behind her but didn't glance up from the flames as Chris walked up beside her then crossed to sit down to the left of the fire, beside her mattress. The flames cast distorted shadows on his features as he picked up a log from by the fire and began to pick at the loose bark on its side.

"So why'd he do it?" Jude's voice broke the silence.

Not looking up from the log, Chris shrugged dramatically. Tearing free a strip of bark he tossed it into the fireplace and watched quietly as the flames engulfed the scrap and quickly reduced it to a small pile of ash. "I _can_ help you, you know?"

Jude leaned forward to rest her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged them close to her. "How?"

He turned to look at her. "Like I said yesterday; double what they're paying me and I'll take you back to Toronto."

She gazed at him silently before asking, "How do I know I can trust you?"

Raising his eyebrows and placing the palms of his hands upward questioningly he asked, "Do you have any better options? We've both seen that neither of us has any idea what Tommy's capable of, or what he's willing to do."

Jude could detect the faint hum of a car in the distance as she asked, "How much?"

"One hundred thousand."

She shook her head, "I don't have that kind of money."

Chris carefully placed the log back by the fireplace as he stood to his feet, "But you can get it."

The crunching of gravel outside indicated Tommy's return. Chris returned to the kitchen area as Jude continued to gaze into the fireplace. Mere seconds before Tommy entered the room Chris's voice broke through her thoughts, "Think about it."

--

_**"Come see what I mean; make me feel secure."**_

The storm that had hit the night before seemed to return with twice the fury that night. Jude's mattress was returned to her room and she sat there, leaning against the wall with her sleeping bag wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were wide as she watched raindrops run down the marbled glass of her window. The moonlight shone through, occasionally blinded by stark flashes of lightning that found their way through even the tiniest crack in the boards.

Slowly, she stood to her feet and walked over to the window. Resting the palm of both hands on the planks of wood she leaned in close to the glass and gazed down at the ground several floors below. Tommy was right. If she'd tried to make it out the window she'd have broken her neck.

Sighing, she turned away from the window and closed her eyes tightly. She couldn't stay in this situation anymore. She couldn't bear the not knowing, the constant fear and tension. It had to be better to take a risk then to just sit here waiting for an outcome she couldn't even imagine.

Her theory regarding Tommy had seemed so believable. His actions over the last couple of days had implied some remainder of the man she once knew but now she was lost once again. She could still feel the faint chill from the icy water in her bones and she shivered once again at the memory of her body crashing through the ice surface but even colder was the look in Tommy's eyes seconds before he pushed her off the jetty.

She stealthily tiptoed to the door of her bedroom and slowly pulled it open. Making a run for it at this point would be hopeless. Both Chris and Tommy had keys to the front door that they wore around their necks. She didn't dare try to retrieve a key from either. She gazed about the room before making a sound. Tommy was absent, having his own room. Chris had fallen asleep on the sofa with the television still playing. Dim light bathed his features as he shifted in his sleep.

"Chris?" Jude whispered. "Chris!"

His eyes flew open and he glanced about him, trying to work out where the sound had come from. Finally his eyes fell upon her in the doorway and he blinked sleepily, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"I thought about your offer," Jude continued quietly. She nodded. "I'll get you the money. Just get me the hell out of here."

**Preview for Part 11  
"_Does it kill, does it burn, is it awful to learn that it's me that has all the control?"_**

_She kept on eye on the front door as Chris tried starting the car a fourth time. Jude felt her blood chill as the front door swung open and Tommy stormed down the stairs toward them, "Chris!"_


	12. Chapter 11: Me who has all the control

_Still having computer troubles. Sigh Make sure to sign up for the alert so you'll receive notification when I'm next able to update. _

_Please comment!_

**Part 11  
"_Does it kill, does it burn, is it awful to learn that it's me that has all the control?"_**

Jude silently picked at the bacon and eggs on her plate the next morning as Tommy topped her plate up with an additional rind of bacon. "What? No sarcastic comments about my culinary transition?" he asked.

She glanced up at him slowly, blue eyes meeting cold blue eyes. "It's delicious," she smiled sweetly.

Chris returned from the bathroom and sat down across from Jude at the table. He glanced at Tommy expectantly, holding his hands up in the air. "Where's mine?"

Tommy rolled his eyes as he carried the frying pan back over to the stove. "Make it yourself."

Grinning, Chris leaned back in his seat. "What? So, just because I'm not as pretty as Jude I don't get a catered breakfast?"

Tommy returned to the table with his own plate of food, ignoring Chris' comment.

Jude's eyes were on her plate as she ate slowly. Her hands were practically shaking with nerves as she ran over Chris' plan in her mind. Tommy tended to take a shower in the morning right after breakfast. The moment the bathroom door closed behind him and the water began running they'd make a run for it. The car was outside and Chris had the keys. There wasn't another vehicle so when Tommy learned they were gone he wouldn't be able to follow, at least not straight away.

From there they'd go to the nearest town and Jude would withdraw whatever she could from her savings account. The additional fees Chris required would have to be secured before he returned her to Toronto but Jude was starting to think she might just be able to supply the full amount.

Chris had walked over to the kitchen and begun preparing his breakfast as Jude continued to eat quietly. She noticed Tommy glance over at her a couple of times and pointedly looked in the opposite direction. "You're quiet today," he remarked.

She noticed Chris eyeing her warningly over Tommy's shoulder as she shrugged indifferently. "It seems talking is a waste of time," she remarked icily, stabbing her fork into her egg yolk with a little more force than necessary and watching as the runny yellow liquid spilled across the slice of bread.

Tommy eyed the egg then glanced at her face again. Gritting his teeth he continued eating quietly.

--

_**"And my worst pains are words I cannot say. Still I will always fight on for you…"**_

Jude was staring blankly at the images playing on the TV screen in front of her, feeling every bit the brain washed teenager television was blamed for creating. As Tommy walked over to the bathroom she tried not to follow him with her eyes, instead she shifted on the sofa, opting to sit on her knees and drum her fingers against the armrest. Chris was casually sipping a cup of coffee at the table.

The moment the door closed behind Tommy and silence replaced the creaking groan of its aged hinges she spun around to glance at Chris. Silently he put a finger to his lips and motioned to his watch. Patiently they waited until the sound of water running filled the room. Chris leapt to his feet and pulled the door key out from under his shirt. Jude rushed over to join him and he grabbed her wrist firmly before unlocking the door.

Pausing with a hand on the doorknob he warningly remarked, "Don't make me regret this."

She nodded silently, and they made their way down the old rickety stairs. The black Sedan sat in the driveway, its bonnet and windows glistening with condensation still left over from the night before. Chris opened the passenger side door and motioned for Jude to get inside. When she was seated she turned to watch him close the door, catching a momentary glimpse of his handgun tucked into the top of his jeans. She shivered, both from the coldness of the car and the terror of the situation.

He crossed in front of the car, his eyes on her the entire time then quickly got behind the wheel. He slid the key into the ignition and turned it, only to be rewarded with a dull coughing sound. Swearing under his breath he tried again. The engine turned over and almost roared into life before spluttering out.

"This can't be happening," Jude murmured as she craned her neck to look up to the door of the apartment. There was no sign of movement from inside though she was certain the sound of the engine would carry over the noise of the shower.

Chris tried a third time and the engine roared into life. He quickly pulled on his seatbelt and Jude followed suit. Looking over his shoulder Chris began to reverse the car only to have it stall and stop. "Maybe you should let it warm up?" Jude instantly regretted saying a word.

"Maybe we don't have time for that," he snapped.

"Right." She kept on eye on the front door he tried starting the car a fourth time. Jude felt her blood chill as the door swung open and Tommy stormed down the stairs toward them, "Chris!"

"I see him." The car roared into life and Chris quickly reversed and turned to drive out of the driveway. Just as he was about to floor it Tommy leapt in front of the car, his gun drawn and pointed squarely at Chris.

"Now what?" Jude whispered.

"Jude! Get out of the car!" Tommy yelled, not taking his eyes off Chris.

Jude glanced over at Chris and slowly he turned to face her. "Don't say a word," he warned and she was alarmed to see a new expression in his eyes. Gone was the lighthearted, flirtatious joker she'd known for the last couple of days and in place was a menacing and icy replacement. She nodded quietly as she took of her seatbelt and slowly climbed out of the car.

"Come here," Tommy motioned for her to join him and grudgingly she obeyed. When she reached him, Tommy took her wrist and pushed her behind him protectively, still holding her wrist firmly enough to disable any escape attempts. With Jude secured, his attention was fully focused on Chris. "Leave the keys and get out of the car," he ordered.

Silently and with a dismissive roll of his eyes Chris climbed out of the car. "You're blowing this way out of proportion. We were just going out to get something for lunch."

"Drop the gun on the front seat," Tommy instructed.

"It's my gun!" Chris feigned surprise. "I was just trying to do a good deed and help you out a little! You go and treat me like I'm some criminal!" Noticing the warning expression in Tommy's eyes he slowly pulled the gun from his jeans and dropped it onto the front seat. "Happy?"

"Hands in the air!"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Do it!"

Slowly Chris raised his hands above his head, his face glowering with anger.

"Go up to the apartment." Tommy directed, slowly moving to keep his gun on Chris as he walked past. When he'd reached the top of the stairs Tommy pulled Jude toward the car.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You're coming with me."

"I don't want to."

"Just shut up!" He roughly shoved her into the car seat and slammed the door behind her as he angrily strode around the car and got in behind the steering wheel.

Leaning her forehead against the glass window as the car sped out of the driveway; Jude could only cringe at how differently this scenario had played out. "Where are we going?" she softly asked, glancing over at him.

"Somewhere we can talk."

**Preview for Part 12  
"_I heard they told her it was tell and live or die. I didn't know her but I know why she lied…"_**

_Tommy took a sharp corner at over 100kph and Jude couldn't suppress her gasp of fear as the car fishtailed slightly before straightening up. _

_Tommy glanced over at her, long enough to cast an angry and critical glance before returning his eyes to the road. "What? I'm scaring you? You were about to run off with some guy you've known for less then forty-eight hours and you think this is scary?"_


	13. Chapter 12: It was tell and live or die

_**Part 12**_

"_**I heard they told her it was tell and live or die. I didn't know her but I know why she lied…"**_

Tommy didn't bother locking the car door as he sped down the road. Sighing, Jude realized any attempted escape would be suicidal at the speed he was driving. She sunk down into her seat, gripping onto the armrest so tight her knuckles turned white. She cringed.

Tommy took a sharp corner at over 100kph and Jude couldn't suppress her gasp of fear as the car fishtailed slightly before straightening up.

Tommy glanced over at her, long enough to cast an angry and critical glance before returning his eyes to the road. "What? I'm scaring you? You were about to run off with some guy you've known for less then seventy-two hours and you think this is scary?"

Jude gulped, "Like Chris told you. We were just going to get something for lunch."

Tommy chuckled bitterly, "Right. And that idea just happened to come to him mere moments after I left the room. He was so excited he forgot to call through the door and let me know, or even leave a note?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly before sharply spinning the wheel and causing the car to do a 180.

Falling sideways in her seat, Jude crashed into Tommy momentarily before pulling away from him as if the brief physical contact had burned her. She tried to appear calm. "Assuming your conspiracy theory is correct. What made you think I was running off with him? How do you know he wasn't kidnapping me? It's all the rage these days. You should know."

Tommy had just gotten the car's speed up again after the sudden 180. It seemed as if destination didn't play into their currently reality. At her words he broke the car suddenly. Jude flew forward, almost hitting her head against the dashboard before her seatbelt locked. She groaned as the restricting belt dug into her shoulder.

With the car idle and motionless in the middle of the deserted road Tommy turned to her. His expression had changed from thinly veiled irritation to sudden concern. "Did he force you to go with him?" She remained silent. "Did he threaten or hurt you in anyway?"

After a long pause she answered. The squeaky pitch of her voice surprised her, betraying the lack of authenticity to her words. "Like I said; we went to get lunch."

Tommy shook his head angrily as he accelerated and the car and sped back down the road. "I'm not an idiot Jude, though you're certainly playing one. Chris is _not_ your friend."

The anger boiling through her veins was overriding her fear and squashing it down beneath her bitter indignation. Eyes glittering she shook her head. "What the hell does that even mean? Neither are you!"

He glanced over at her briefly before turning sharply onto a shingle road.

"Oh great. What? Are we going to the lake again?" Her eyebrows rose accusingly as she turned in her seat to face him. "Are you going to finish me off this time?"

Blinking angrily, Tommy shook his head. "You know what? Forget this! I don't care what you think and your snide little comments aren't going to get you anywhere. You have no idea what really happened at the lake and it's not worth having this conversation when you don't know what the _hell you're talking about_!"

Resting her arm on the door, Jude tapped her fingers against her cheek. "This is getting old. Obviously I don't know so TELL ME!"

"I can't!"

They were silent as Tommy drove the rest of the way down the long straight road. Eventually he stopped beside an old oak tree and killed the engine. The area around them was flat for miles before climbing dramatically into tall mountains. It was a grey day with clouds sitting close to the earth, hanging over their heads threateningly.

"Stay here." Tommy instructed as he climbed out of the car.

She shook her head, scoffing to herself as she muttered under her breath, "Not likely!"

Almost as if he'd heard her, which he couldn't possibly have, Tommy leaned back in the car door. "We're in the middle of nowhere; it's flat, you can see for miles and right now I have two loaded guns in my possession. I _wouldn't_ recommend it."

She shook her head confidently, even as he started to turn away from her, telling her in no uncertain terms that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned and her rebuttal meant nothing. "You're not going to shoot me. Even if you wanted to the people you're working for obviously want me alive." He glanced over his shoulder at her, pausing to watch as she motioned with her hands angrily, "And if I ran – maybe you'd catch me but," she leaned across the driver's seat toward him as she calmly remarked, "At least I'd make you _sweat_ in the process."

Gritting his teeth angrily, he slammed the door in her face. He quickly slid the key into the lock and turned it, earning a quick rush of satisfaction. Jude just rolled her eyes and went to unlock her own door; she was shocked to find it wouldn't budge. The car must have had some sort of central locking override that could only be accessed from the driver's side. She checked the lock related buttons next to the electric window controls on the driver's side but to no avail.

She glanced up through the windshield in time to see Tommy walking backwards in front of the car, facing her with a self satisfied smirk on his face. He lifted his hands as if to say, 'What are you going to do?' before pulling a cell phone from his pocket and turning to face away from her.

--

"_**Belief is a beautiful armor but makes for the heaviest sword. Like punching under water, you never can hit what you're trying for."**_

Jude sat glowering in her car seat. If ever there were a time she wished she could develop superhero powers and channel superman's laser vision; it was now. As her eyebrows lowered angrily, she fixed her gaze on Tommy.

If looks could kill, he'd be lifeless on the road in front of her. Instead he was walking about, completely healthy, if not happy. Other than the occasional passing smirk, he was also completely oblivious to the angry girl a few feet away.

As he dialed a number on his cell, Jude moved to sit in the driver's seat. Slowly she ran her hands over the steering wheel feeling the cool plastic beneath her fingers, and with it, the rush of power she always felt when behind the wheel.

She peered under the wheel, her eyes briefly flittering over the ignition which served no purpose to her in absence of the keys. Mentally she kicked herself for not taking the car hotwiring lesson Wyle so generously offered on tour the previous year. At the time she'd been more concerned regarding where he obtained such a skill, not to mention where he ever had use for it.

She consoled herself by pushing the accelerator pedal to the floor and closing her eyes as she leaned back in the chair. Like a child playing in its father's car, she imagined the roaring sound of the engine and its subtle vibrations beneath her. She imagined the road opening up before her. She could almost feel the warming embrace of freedom.

Tommy's voice, angry as he spoke into the phone, broke her from her childlike car driving fantasy and she lazily lifted one eyelid to watch as he paced in front of the car. His demeanor had changed considerably since she last looked up and she guessed it had something to do with whoever was on the other end of the line.

He shoved one hand into the pocket of his jacket as the other held the phone firmly to his ear. If she strained, Jude was able to make out his words.

"He was taking off with her!" he yelled it as if the person on the other end was stupid and incapable of grasping the extent of his statement. There was a pause then he angrily responded, "I saw them in the car, about to drive away! He only stopped when I drew my gun and there was a second when I thought he was going to drive straight through me!"

"I want him off the job. I want to do this alone," he spoke with such passion. She would have been impressed if it were a different topic, a different time and a different guy.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. His attitude toward her had also changed since the conversation began. His expression wasn't cold or angry, emotionless or amused. She couldn't place it but it was almost familiar.

He tore his eyes away from her. "I'm worried about Jude's safety." His expression darkened as the person responded. "Well you should be! Look, I'm not-" He was interrupted and she could see his temper boiling as he listened to the other person speak. Finally, he responded slowly and deliberately; "Jude Harrison. That's what. Or maybe you'd be better served to remember she is in fact a _who_."

He turned away from her and nodded more to himself then the person who could only hear and not see him. He listened silently. "Right, of course not; whatever you say." She could detect the sarcasm in his tone. It was hidden beneath layers of superficial politeness but she knew him better. He moved the phone from his ear and looked at it, glaring it as if it were the person he obviously despised so much. He started to swing his arm back as if to hurl it into a nearby field but stopped himself at the last possible minute.

Sighing in defeat, he returned the phone to his ear. "Fine. Yeah, I'll report in soon." He closed the cell phone and slowly turned to face Jude. He shoved both hands deep into his pockets as he eyed her, almost resembling a small child anticipating a reprimand.

Finally he walked back to the car and tapped against the closed driver's side window. "Scoot over." His voice wasn't angry or commanding, had the situation been different she could have almost imagined an accompanying smile. Almost…

Slowly she obeyed and only then did he unlocked the door and get inside. "What now?" she asked.

"How about we go five minutes without a question?"

She raised an eyebrow, "How about not?"

**Preview for Part 13****  
**_**"No, I'm not that man I used to be lately. See, you met me at an interesting time. And if my past is any sign of your future. You should be warned before I let you inside."**_

_Tommy had changed approach. He dropped the assertive tone and went entirely with pleading. He softened his voice, almost to the degree of talking to a small child. "Look, for both our sakes you need to come with me. You have no idea."_

She shook her head before slowly turning and continuing to walk away. A loud bang echoed throughout the valley as Tommy's gun fired and the next thing she knew, Jude was on the ground. 


	14. Chapter 13: You should be warned

_Your very first revelation with more to come. Please comment!_

_**Part 13**_

"_**No, I'm not that man I used to be lately. See, you met me at an interesting time. And if my past is any sign of your future. You should be warned before I let you inside."**_

They were on the road again. It stretched out ahead like the glistening back of a long silver serpent bathing in the midday sun. Only today, to match Jude's emotional state, there was no sun; only ominous clouds that hung low and heavy with the threat of rain, sleet or snow. The air was misty, adding more to her feelings of captivity as she filled her half of the car with resentment and anger.

"Can't we just go back to the apartment?" she asked.

They'd been driving for what felt like an hour and with each mile stretching between herself and home, the worse she felt. They were still on uninhabited back roads with virtually no signs or recognizable towns or cities. She was wishing she'd paid more attention in geography. Perhaps then she could recognize the trees or the mountains or something to tell her where in Canada she currently was.

"No." Tommy didn't look away from the road as he spoke and that only served to anger her more.

She kicked her door angrily, putting as much anger into the kick and instantly regretting it as pain shot through her leg. She did feel satisfaction though, as she noticed a slight crack in the thick plastic beneath the armrest.

Had it been the Viper, Hummer or Porsche, Tommy would have pulled the car over instantly and most likely murdered her right there on the side of the road. But now, here in this car, with _this _Tommy, there was no reaction whatsoever.

She tried something a little closer to home as her frustration built. In one quick motion she turned in her chair, curled her right hand into a fist and punched into his left arm with as much force as she could manage.

On a motorway the action would have been suicidal; the sudden impact against his arm caused him to unintentionally wrench the steering wheel sharply to the right which resulted in the car swerving into the nonexistent oncoming traffic. Jude screamed in surprise as they skidded over the wet tarmac and onto the clear land next to the road.

"What the hell?" Tommy swore as he turned in his seat to face her.

"Oh! Now we have a response! Finally!" She threw her hands into the air and reached for the door handle. It was unlocked, miraculously, and she climbed out of the car before he could realize what was happening.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline that was making her fearless, perhaps she didn't care anymore, or perhaps for some strange reason she didn't fear Tommy as much as she had the day before.

She trudged through the grass lining the road. It was long and wet and she could feel moisture seeping through her jeans as she half walked half ran and tried not to trip and fall flat on her face.

"Jude! Stop!"

She glanced over her shoulder briefly to see Tommy standing at his open car door, his arms braced on the roof of the car with his gun pointed squarely at her.

"Go ahead! Shoot me!" She waved a hand skyward and wobbled sideways as her left foot sunk into a hole she hadn't spotted. Perhaps her tone and words spoke stoic defiance but her appearance was anything but. She stood by the road looking utterly bedraggled and young. As she wobbled around, trying to regain her balance it would have been hard for even the most coldhearted person not to feel a little sympathy for her. If Tommy felt any sympathy… who could tell?

"Don't push me!" She could see frustration painted so clearly on his features but she could also detect just how conflicted he was.

"I mean it!" she turned to look at him, "Shoot me! It has to be better than being eaten by some wild bear or dying from exposure out here. I am inot/i coming back to you so you might as well just shoot me."

His expression was almost pleading, "Just come back to the car. Please?"

She shook her head, "Only if you take me back to Chris."

He gaped at her, "Damn it, Jude! He'd kill you for a hundred dollars! He doesn't care about you!"

"Neither do you! So shoot me!" She stomped her foot into the soft ground like a three year old throwing a tantrum.

Tommy had changed approach. He dropped the assertive tone and went entirely with pleading. He softened his voice, almost to the degree of talking to a small child. "Look, for both our sakes you need to come with me. You have no idea."

She shook her head before slowly turning and continuing to walk away. A loud bang echoed throughout the valley as Tommy's gun fired and the next thing she knew, Jude was on the ground, her hands over her head protectively.

Before she could recover or get her bearings Tommy had stomped over to her and was roughly pulling her up off the ground. She gaped at him.

"You almost shot me!"

"No, I didn't."

She shook her head, not even noticing that he was dragging her back to the car, "I felt the air from the bullet zipping past my head!" She swore loudly, "do you even know how to use that thing?"

He opened her car door and shoved her inside, "You want to know if I was aiming to kill, if I intentionally missed or if it was just lucky for you?"

She nodded her head but his only response was to grit his teeth angrily as he slammed her door and locked it. Seconds later he was behind the wheel once again, staring blankly ahead of him.

She sat back in her seat and watched him quietly. "Just tell me something?" she finally pleaded, "You don't want me to trust Chris, fine. Tell me why. Give me that much."

He turned to her. His eyes were so clouded they almost didn't appear human. There was a long pause. "Okay."

He gazed ahead of him as the breeze softly blew through some nearby trees, rustling the leaves in the deathly silent valley.

"Chris set up this elaborate kidnapping/ransom plan and there must have been some level of intelligence behind it because the people he was stealing from; they have iintense/i security. But he got past it. He got his victim and then they got as far as they alleyway outside the building where the getaway car was parked. That's where he got caught. There'd been a detail or two that he overlooked. I don't know all the details."

Jude sat in silence, occasionally picking at her fingernails in an attempt to stop herself from going crazy. She couldn't bear to sit still in this confined space and she soon realized she didn't want to hear what she was being told.

"So this family he stole from?" he turned to her as he spoke, his eyebrows rising for emphasis as he spoke, "They could _destroy_ him; rich, powerful, influential; the works. So the people I work for they came in and made it go away, all of it. Don't ask me how, I'm not sure I want to know but he was clean, he was free, except for one small detail – he now _belonged_ to them."

"You know what I'm thinking, Jude? Old habits die hard and old dogs don't learn new tricks. He was going to take you, get as much money out of you as he could then either ransom you back to your family or blackmail the people we work for. He wants the money and that's all he cares about."

Tommy was trying to communicate the severity of the situation with his eyes as he gazed at her. He was so certain of the evils of Chris but Jude didn't want to see it. She turned away to gaze out the window as light drizzle fell from the sky.

"You don't know that for sure." she argued, though as she spoke she felt as if she were arguing with herself more then him.

"Yeah, I do." He started the engine and she glanced over at him in time for their eyes to meet briefly before he turned to the road. "But you want to go back to him? You've got your wish because I've got no choice."

The next hour was spent on the road and trapped in deathly silence. A million thoughts were swirling about in Jude's mind; each leaving her more and more confused. She was trapped under a tsunami of questions that kept pushing her down deeper and deeper into the water. Everything was getting darker and more hopeless. She no longer knew which way was up.

"One more thing;" Tommy spoke up as the apartment came into view and they slowly drove up the driveway, "When the police had Chris cornered, when everything went bad; someone died," he turned to her and this time she didn't look away. Her eyes were glued to his, desperately looking for something to deny his words. "And it was Chris who pulled the trigger."

_**Part 14**_

"_**I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut. And my weakness is that I care too much..."**_

_There was a slight squeaking sound at the door and she turned her head in surprise. The doorknob was turning so slowly it almost wasn't noticeable. She stayed as still as she possibly could, closing her eyes almost completely to appear asleep but leaving one eye open just enough to watch as the door opened and a figure filled the space._


	15. Chapter 14: My weakness is

_Another new chapter. Hope you like it. Please comment, longer the better!_

**Part 14****  
**_**"I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut and my weakness is that I care too much…"**_

Jude trudged up the external stairway to the apartment building. Each step felt as if she had chains tied to her feet and she took the stairs as slowly as she could. She felt Tommy walk up behind her until he crashed into her and used his body to push her forward. He leaned forward to speak into her ear, "You wanted this." His hot breath tickled her skin and she turned her face away from him.

It was still raining and she could feel the cold moisture seeping through her clothes. Strangely enough she didn't dislike it. It was harsh, brisk and surprising and it somehow reminded her that despite everything; she was still alive.

They reached the top of the stairs; Tommy still pressed up so close behind her so that she couldn't tell where her body heat ended and his began. He reached around her and opened the door. It swung inward, its old hinges squeaking in protest and instantly announcing their arrival.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light of the room as she walked inside and she couldn't suppress the gasp of surprise as she spotted Chris leaning against the wall directly in front of her. He stared at her icily and she found herself unintentionally shrinking back into Tommy.

He wasn't offering any sympathy though; he put his hand on her shoulders and pushed her forward into the center of the room. "Home sweet home. Happy?"

She glanced over her should and watched as he walked into the kitchen and began boiling a jug of water. He was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She turned back to Chris who hadn't moved since they arrived. His eyes were still pinned on hers. Despite Tommy's casual attitude she could feel the tension in the room. She wouldn't have been surprised if the tattered building suddenly exploded from the pressure.

Finally Chris moved. Slowly and stealthily, like a cat, he stepped forward and sank down onto the sofa. "Take a seat Jude, get comfortable, relax," his eyes were on hers as his voice informed her their would be no negotiations. He patted a spot next to him.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Tommy watching her. He was tense, like a rattle snake poised to strike if either she or Chris made the wrong move.

Relax? Not likely.

She sat down next to Chris, her entire body perched on the very edge of the sofa and her arms wrapped around herself protectively.

"Have a nice drive?" he asked casually.

"Not really."

He glanced over his shoulder at Tommy. The jug was boiling noisily and Tommy was looking away. Taking the opportunity he leaned toward Jude. He was so close his nose brushed against the side of her head as he whispered into her ear, "What did you tell him?"

She shook her head, "Nothing."

He pulled away a little, his eyes distrusting, "Yeah?"

She nodded, "I swear."

--

**"Seems the dreams she'd had have all turned black and blue…"**

Jude lay awake on her mattress, watching as moonlight danced on her ceiling; warbled slightly by the water streaming down her window as the rain continued to batter the building. She had one arm braced beneath her head and the other slowly bunched the fabric of the sleeping bag in her fist then released it. Seconds later she would close her fist around it once again.

There was a slight squeaking sound at the door and she turned her head in surprise. The doorknob was turning so slowly it almost wasn't noticeable. She stayed as still as she possibly could, closing her eyes almost completely to appear asleep but leaving one eye open just enough to watch as the door opened and a figure filled the space.

He paused for a few seconds before slowly stepping into the room. He was treading carefully, avoiding squeaky floorboards and not putting all his weight on a spot until seconds before he shifted it. Then he paused, his action seeming deliberate as he eyed the floor then moved to his left. His foot connected with a floorboard that protested loudly. Jude was certain the sound would have echoed throughout the entire building.

As he stepped forward into the moonlight, the dim blue light reflected off his blonde hair. Jude felt her heart rate increase and instantly she dropped the façade of sleep. 

"What are you d-?"

He dove forward and covered her mouth with his hand, pushing her down onto the mattress as he hissed, "Don't make a sound."

She struggled against him, kicking her feet and flailing her arms at him, punching his chest and futilely attempting to kick him.

His free hand had rested on her should but slowly it ran down the length of her arm, his fingers dancing over the exposed skin in a manner that made her blood chill. She began to scream, the sound muffled by his hand and barely echoing in her head. It wasn't enough. She had to make a noise.

She shifted her leg until she felt the edge of the mattress then raised her foot into the air then slammed it down onto the floorboard; hard. She breathed a sight of relief when her foot connected with a loose floorboard that groaned loudly from the sudden disturbance. 

Chris was surprised and startled by the sudden noise. The hand over her mouth released momentarily as he swung around, trying to locate and stop the source of the noise. A second was all she needed; she screamed loudly, her highly trained voice piercing the silence and filling every room, even echoing throughout the empty spaces outside the building.

Chris shrunk away from her wide eyed as the sound of Tommy's bedroom door swinging open echoed in the next room. He had nowhere to go and desperately glanced about the room, looking for an out or an excuse. He grabbed Jude suddenly and tugged her off the mattress. He had her halfway to the window when Tommy stormed into the room.

"Let her go!"

"She was trying to get out the window," Chris's voice broke as he spoke the last word. He motioned desperately from Jude to the window, knowing how weak his excuse was.

"I said; let her go." 

He complied quickly and held his hands up in front of him in a surrendering motion. Jude shrank away and slowly took a few steps toward Tommy. "It's not true," she told him, her voice soft and uncertain.

Tommy glanced at her for the first time and she knew instantly that he believed her.

Sensing the walls closing in, Chris moved toward Jude. His expression had changed from feigned innocence to something evil.

"Chris, don't!" Tommy wasn't yelling. He rarely yelled. He spoke with a deathly intensity, the force behind the words conveying far more than higher decibels ever could. He strode toward them and shoved Chris way, his hand curling into a fist as he held it threateningly in front of him. 

Jude leaned against the wall, the palms of her hands pressing close to the cool surface as if she could suck some lifeless strength from the wall. Oh to be lifeless – not dead, alive but uncaring, motionless and detached.

The two men faced each other, steely gaze to steely gaze as each sized up the other. Chris was weighing up his chances and Jude felt her blood chill at the prospective of him winning this battle. Finally he stepped back, raising his hands in a surrendering motion, "Whatever," he muttered before turning and walking back out of the room.

Tommy turned to Jude, his eyes still over his shoulder until he felt sure Chris wasn't suddenly about to charge at him. He motioned to her but she shook her head ever so slightly and closed her eyes. A moment later she felt his fingers wrap around her arm as he pulled her away from the comfort of the wall.

"It's not safe," he was speaking quietly, low enough that Chris wouldn't hear. He was trying to look her in the eyes, to convey a message not only in words but she refused to look at him. She was tired, it was all pointless anyway. "I'm not going to leave you alone with him," without communicating what he wanted her to do he tugged her forward.

"What?" she finally snapped. Her movements were slow and drudging as she allowed herself to be dragged along. They left her room and passed through the main room where Chris stood at the window, facing away from them and staring out into the dark night.

"You're staying in my room tonight," Tommy said over his shoulder as he opened his door and motioned for her to step inside.

She blinked wearily and shook her head, "No. Frankly I'd rather take my chances with Chris."

The comment angered him and he took two menacing steps toward her, "Careful what you wish for." He gazed at her silently but still she wouldn't meet his eyes. Finally he motioned silently for her to enter the room and she finally obeyed. She was tired of fighting.

**Preview for Part 15****  
**_**"Churning through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis…"**_

_"I'm not doing it. I don't care! Do it then!" Another pause, "Screw you!" He slammed the phone shut and turned to Chris, his breathing heavy and his eyes dark._

Chris's eyebrows rose in amusement as he eyed him, "Awe, did the big bossy man give you an order you didn't like?" He smirked, "face it Quincy, you're not the King you think you are."


	16. Chapter 15: Sick lullabies

_I thought I'd already added this chapter. Oops…_

_We're on our way to the first action sequence. Can't wait. Please comment!_

**Part 15****  
**_**"Churning through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis…"**_

The bedroom was small. Most of the space was taken up by an old double bed with a wrought iron headboard. A chest of drawers was parallel to the bottom of the wall and there were boarded up windows to match those in Jude's room against one wall. There was a cupboard in one corner and in another was an overstuffed armchair.

Jude stood at the foot of the double bed, her arms crossed over her chest as she tried not to allow the various scary scenarios of what could happen during the course of the night to run through her head.

Tommy walked past her, his arm brushing against hers in the small space as he shrugged off his jacket and threw it over a chest of drawers. "He's volatile," Tommy finally spoke into the silence. Jude was left with no other option than to assume he was speaking about Chris. "He's getting worse, like he's going off the rails. I don't know what to expect from him anymore." He glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes scanning her body but not in a sexual way, more like he was just truly seeing her.

"And you're saying you're not like that?" she challenged, "The way I see it you two are exactly the same."

He kicked his shoes off with so much force they flew into the wall, leaving smudges on the tattered wallpaper before clattering to the floor. "_I_ do the job required," Tommy replied, "I follow the rules and use means that lead to the best results for everyone involved."

"The means justify the ends kind of thing?" Her eyes followed his every move, whether he met her gaze or not.

"Let's drop it."

"I don't really see how your kidnapping me could ever be described as the best thing for me."

"Jude," His voice was firm, "Drop it."

----

Somehow a stream of bright sunlight had managed to find a crack in the boarded windows, located in the perfect position to stream harsh light directly on Jude's face. She mumbled something sleepily, a reprimand to the sun and stars as she rolled onto her side and pulled a pillow over her head. Mid roll her eyes opened momentarily. It was the briefest of glances but enough to remind her that she wasn't safe at home, avoiding another school day but imprisoned in some Canadian wilderness.

She shoved the pillow aside and watched Tommy. He'd spent the night on the arm chair next to the bed and though it had looked comfortable enough when she entered the room, she could certainly sympathize with a night on the small chair. She watched as Tommy shifted in an attempt to get comfortable. He was sitting sideways on the chair with both legs slung over one arm rest, his back to the other and his head falling backward over the side.

He resembled a small child falling asleep in the backseat of his parent's car and for a moment she was able to forget the scary kidnapper role he'd been playing in recent days.

Cupboard doors slammed in the next room and Jude's head whipped around to eye the bedroom door nervously. When she turned to Tommy once again he was sitting upright in the chair and rubbing his eyes blearily.

"What time is it?" He didn't look at her as he spoke and she resented him for it.

She shrugged, "I don't know."

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair, attempting to smooth the matted mess it had become. She'd never seen his hair as anything other than perfectly manicured.

She slowly slid back and up into a sitting position, her back to the uncomfortable iron headboard. She pulled the blankets up to her neck, both for a feeling of security and warmth against the chilling morning air.

Tommy opened the closet door and Jude leaned forward to peer inside. A large black garbage sack was the main occupant of the space, as well as a small suitcase. In the back was what looked like old garbage, some tools and a crowbar most likely left by previous occupants. Tommy grabbed the sack and hefted it up onto the foot of the bed.

He glanced up at Jude briefly, "Get up," he commanded as he waved a hand at the bag, "choose some clothes. You want a shower?"

She nodded as she slowly threw aside the covers and crawled to the foot of the bed. A quick perusal of the bag revealed that it was full of clothes, her size and more surprisingly so – her style. She'd wondered where the never ending source of clothes she'd been supplied with the last couple of days had come from. She glanced up at Tommy who was facing away from her and eyeing the door.

"How'd you know my size?" she asked as she pulled out a pair of jeans and long sleeve shirt.

Glancing over his shoulder at her he dismissively responded, "Research was done."

Her eyebrows rose in amusement, "By you or others?"

He sighed impatiently and turned to the door once again. The conversation was apparently over.

She shrugged as she climbed out of the bed and set her bare feet on the hardwood floor. She shivered from the cold that instantly attacked her vulnerable feet.

Tommy had walked over to the door but instead of opening it he now stood leaning against it. Jude felt a little thrill of terror run through her at the caged feeling that suddenly ran through her from the sight of him blocking the only exit. She shifted her weight to one foot as she watched him warily.

"What happened with Chris last night?" His expression was guarded and his words came out almost choked. She could tell it was one of those questions where you know you don't want to know the answer.

She ran her hands up and down her bare arms as she looked away. "He came into the room. I asked what he was doing and he put his hand over my mouth. I made some noise. You came." She shrugged.

He swore angrily and kicked the door. She jumped at the sudden display off anger as she backed away from him. He paused for a moment with his eyes fixed on the peeling paint of the door before he reached for the doorknob and opened it. "Come have a shower then get breakfast," he held the door open and waited for her to pass through, "I'll wait outside while you shower," he said quietly.

A few days earlier he'd stayed outside the bathroom to guard against her attempts of escape. Now she knew he stayed to guard her against attempt of entry. A few days ago she'd been more concerned about his presence then anything else. Now she had other, if not bigger, things to worry about.

----

_**"I hope you know, I hope you know – this has nothing to do with you."**_[/i

The next couple of days passed uneventfully. There were no excursions to lakes, no meetings with helicopters, no service station breaks. Jude's entire world became that two bedroom apartment with the mildew covered walls and stank, stale air. Chris came and went, returning with supplies of bland food that Jude barely touched. 

Tommy and Chris hardly spoke but the tension never left. Tommy was never far from Jude and it was a fact she both resented and appreciated. She wasn't entirely sure if Tommy really was protection or just another type of evil. She didn't trust anyone – she didn't dare.

Jude aimlessly flipped through the channels on the television and earned a muttered complaint from Chris who was sitting at the kitchen table and reading a newspaper. "I was watching that."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, "No, you were reading the comic strips."

He glared at her and opened his mouth to answer. His retort was cut off by the buzzing of a cell phone and both their heads turned to watch Tommy take a cell phone from his pocket.

"Yeah, we're laying low," he glanced out the window, "I don't know, a couple hours I guess?" his expression darkened and he shook his head, "No, I'm not doing that. _No_, you know what happened last time," there was a pause during which time he held the cell phone away from his head. Jude could faintly make out a voice yelling on the other end of the line though she couldn't make out the words.

"I'm not doing it. I don't care! Do it then!" Another pause, "Screw you!" He slammed the phone shut and turned to Chris, his breathing heavy and his eyes dark.

Chris's eyebrows rose in amusement as he eyed him, "Awe, did the big bossy man give you an order you didn't like?" He smirked, "face it Quincy, you're not the King you think you are."

Tommy glared at him and Jude knew he was slowly counting to ten in his mind. She knew what it looked like when he was about to lose his temper. He glanced over at her briefly and their eyes met for a millisecond before he turned to Chris and with a defeated sigh said, "He wants you to take Jude to the next meet up."

Chris' grin grew as he stared at Tommy in disbelief, "Wait, without you?" His laugh echoed throughout the room as he stood up quickly, "This is just... great," his eyes glimmered as his eyes flittered over Tommy. "Now?"

Tommy nodded, a muscle twitching in his jaw as he gazed out the window.

Chris turned to Jude and motioned for her to stand, "Come on Princess, we're out of here."

Jude stood slowly while Chris grabbed his jacket and took one last sip of his coffee. Her eyes were glued to Tommy as she silently begged him to save her from this new fate. He didn't look at her once.

Chris opened the front door and glanced at Tommy expectantly. He tossed him the keys. Chris chuckled one last time as he turned to Jude, "Come on," he might have been smiling and chuckling but his tone was commanding and firm. He turned away and Jude heard his footsteps as he started down the staircase. 

She slowly walked toward the door, glancing one last time at Tommy but he stood stoic by the window. Just as she reached the door he spun around suddenly and in a blur of leather and musky after shave he grabbed her shoulder. "Be careful, okay?"

**Preview for Part 16****  
**_**"I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door…"**_

_The air was laden with moisture as Chris and Jude stepped into the mouth of the mine. It seemed like a descent into hell as they left the blue sky and walked down into that black emptiness. Chris retrieved a flashlight from his pocket but the light was dim and barely lit a few feet in front of them. _


	17. Chapter 16: I drove for miles

_I meant to post this yesterday but alas I've got a cold and took to bed. lol. So please comment. Comments are like medicine. I hope anyway..._

**Part 16****  
**_**"I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door..."**_

The drive to their mysterious destination was long and terrible. Chris didn't say a word; not one teasing remark or flirtation as had been his manner in the first few days Jude knew him. His silence was uncanny, almost oxymoronic and it left Jude shivering with uncertainty.

The sky was actually blue today but a dull grayish shade that seemed to imply it could change to gray in a heartbeat. There was no warmth in the air and no heat from the sun. Jude was grateful for the warm jacket she'd located in the sack of clothing Tommy had provided.

After a half an hour of driving on the main road they turned off and started down an almost invisible track through brush and scrub into the forest. She glanced over at Chris who was steering with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the gear stick. His eyes were on the road as he gritted his teeth and deliberately ignored her.

"Would there be any point in asking where we're going?" she asked tentatively.

"What do you think?" he didn't look at her as she spoke. 

"No?"

"There you go then; no point in asking." 

She glared at him, keeping her eyes fixed on his face even as he ignored her. She'd used the same trick on Sadie in their younger days and it had never failed to irritate.

"We're here," Chris declared and for the first time Jude looked away from him. Perhaps that hadn't been the best idea she momentarily thought. She should have been looking around for opportunities and means of escape.

They'd come out of the forest into a small clearing. Directly in front of them was a steep cliff face climbing up to a snow laden mountain. There were a few scruffy cars parked nearby and at the base of the cliff was what appeared to be a mineshaft entrance.

Jude sat silently as Chris climbed out of the car and came around to unlock her door. He held it open and waited for her to exit. Any other situation and the action would have been gentlemanly.

"Come on," he instructed.

She shook her head and leaned back in her chair, "Thanks. I think I'll just stay here." The mineshaft, the clearing, the way the mountain towered over them like a giant poised to attack, it was all giving her a very bad feeling.

Without a word he reached in and roughly grabbed her arm and began to pull her out of the car.

"Ow! That hurts! Stop it!" She punched her hands into his chest weakly, barely getting time to aim and deliver the blow as he pulled her from the car and shoved her back into the back door. He grabbed her wrists and held them back against the cool metal as his angry eyes shot darts of spite at her.

"Play nice," he instructed as his hands tightened around her wrists painfully. She got the distinct feeling he was on the verge of losing his temper. She could hear the thin layer of control wavering in his voice. "Or I won't _be_ nice." He released her hands and pushed her back against the car again roughly as he stepped back. "Now, are you coming?"

Rubbing a hand over her bruised wrists she nodded slightly. He motioned for her to walk in front of him as he pointed to the mineshaft, "Let's go visit some… friends."

----

_**"And gravity wants to bring me down…" **_

The air was laden with moisture as Chris and Jude stepped into the mouth of the mine. It seemed like a descent into hell as they left the blue sky and walked down into that black emptiness. Chris retrieved a flashlight from his pocket but the light was dim and barely lit a few feet in front of them.

Jude had never been scared of the dark but here in this cave, images of snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies filled her mind. She shrank away from the walls. She shrank away from Chris. She did a lot of shrinking and cowering and she hated herself for it. She was tired of feeling so weak and defenseless.

The tunnel gradually sloped downward and as Jude glanced over her shoulder she almost couldn't distinguish the pinpoint of light shining down to them from the mine's entrance. When she turned around she was both surprised and relieved to see the dim outline of a door up ahead. Her mind had begun to delve into dramatic and unrealistic fantasies. Perhaps this was the entrance to Hades. Perhaps this tunnel would continue indefinitely and she and Chris would be lost forever in its depths.

The door was old and made of a dense dark wood. It had an old fashioned knocker in the middle and there was no visible door handle.

Chris motioned for her to stand next to him as he took the big brass knocker in his hand and let it fall. It crashed against a small metal plate on the door and the sound echoed throughout the cavern. There was something deathly about the sound, even to Jude who generally managed to find beauty in any sound. 

Chris glanced at her as the echoing died down and she was surprised and horrified to see that he was nervous, "here goes nothing," he remarked as the door swung open.

----

_**"Nobody's going to come and save you. We pulled too many false alarms…"**_

Jude fought the urge to hide behind Chris as a giant man filled the doorway. She could barely make out his glaring features as the dim light from the room behind him left his face in shadow. He leaned down to peer at Chris.

"You Chris?" he asked in a raspy voice.

Chris almost seemed to gulp as he nodded, "Yeah, you're expecting me?"

The man nodded and stepped aside, "Do come in," there was amusement in his voice and he grinned devilishly as Chris stepped past him and into the room, leading Jude by the hand behind him.

"Well, well," the burly man remarked, having only just noticed Jude, "I can't remember the last time the Hell Pitt saw a female."

Glancing about the room Jude wasn't surprised. It was a small cave like enclosure, thirty or so feet square. She got the impression the mine shaft continued beyond as one wall was boarded up. There was some electrical wiring running along the rocky roof. From the wiring hung naked light bulbs that provided light so dim it's only achievement was to cast creepy shadows on the damp stone walls. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and the odor of stale beer. A handful of guys sat at old barrels which served as bars and tables that were set up haphazardly about the room. Their stares confirmed burly man's statement. She shuddered as one toothless old man winked at her. The setting, the men, the large rifle leaning against one wall; it gave her the distinct feeling she'd just stepped through a time warp and into some old fashioned Western.

"Right this way," burly man directed as he pointed past Chris and toward the back. An enclosed area sat in the far corner, a combination of old boards and stained red curtains making a makeshift room with an almost invisible entry way.

Chris strode toward the room, no longer holding onto Jude's hand. He was obviously confident no escape attempt would be made and Jude didn't blame him. She followed meekly, avoiding the eyes that were still glued to her.

Chris reached the enclosure and tapped lightly against a plank of wood.

"Fine, fine, come in," a deep voice called as a curtain was pulled aside to make a doorway.

Chris stepped inside and motioned for Jude to follow. Inside was a small, beady eyed man whose appearance failed to match his deep voice. His hair was a pale yellowish blonde a few shades lighter then Chris and his eyes were a faded blue that once might have been striking.

He sat in front of a small table lit by another naked bulb that hung so low in the space it almost brushed against the tabletop. He motioned for Chris and Jude to sit at the bench opposite him. They complied silently.

"So," the man spoke, "the old Git sent you then?"

Chris' eyebrows rose in amusement as he nodded.

"Did he tell you why?" His eyes drifted over to Jude as he spoke and she glanced away, her eyes glued to the drops of water running down the stone wall to her left. Chris shook his head.

The man grinned evilly, "good." He pointed to Jude, "So, this is her? This is what all the fuss is about?" He looked her over, "She's okay I guess." He snapped his fingers and burly man appeared at the door. "Go get the package."

"May I ask what is in the package?" Chris asked tentatively.

"Supplies," the man responded simply.

Burly man returned a few moments later and handed a damp looking brown paper package to the blonde man who in turn handed it to Chris.

Nodding his thanks Chris stood and motioned for Jude to do the same, "Pleasure doing business with you," he remarked as he started for the door.

With lightning quick motion the blonde man reached across the table and grabbed Jude's wrist, "She stays."

Jude felt her blood ran cold as her skin crawled beneath the man's touch. She'd thought Tommy and Chris scared her but none of it compared to the repulsion she felt in this man's presence.

Chris spun around to face them and shook his head severely, "That wasn't the deal." 

The man fixed his icy blue eyes on Chris, "Do I _look_ like I care?" He took a few steps toward Chris who backed through the curtain and out into the main cave. The blonde man followed, tugging Jude along with him.

The conversation and drinking had stopped and the handful of men now stood nearby, watching the altercation that was taking place. Burly man took a few steps and paused behind Chris, making his presence known in a threatening manner. Chris turned to gaze up at him and if she hadn't realized it before, in that moment Jude knew for sure; this was bad.

This was really, really bad. 

**Preview for Part 17****  
**_**"…and the voices fall like timber and the fear it falls like rain, and the heart is crushed to cinders beneath this campaign."**_

_"Come on pretty," the light bulb man said as he advanced toward Jude, "there's nowhere to run." He lunged at her and Jude turned to run. She let out a startled and angry cry as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against him._

"Let her go!" 


	18. Chapter 17: Fear it falls like rain

_Thanks for all your comments. I love them   
But come on guys; Tommy save Jude? She can save herself ;)_

**Part 17****  
**_**"…and the voices fall like timber and the fear it falls like rain, and the heart is crushed to cinders beneath this campaign."**_

"Look, I don't want any trouble and I'm sure if you really think about out it – you guys don't want any either," Chris' eyes scanned the crowd as he spoke, trying to convey his message to each man personally before returning his gaze to the blonde man, "and I'm sure you know as well as any just how vividly the 'old git' can destroy your lives."

Jude found his words alarming and had she been the one they were spoken to she'd certainly have been reassessing her actions. Despite the alarming nature of her current situation she found her mind analyzing the meaning of Chris' words, trying to pull from them the truth of her kidnapping.

"I think it's time you left blondie," the burly man said with a chuckle as he advanced toward him.

Chris' eyes were wide as he gazed up at the big man. This time he definitely gulped as he shook his head, "Not without Jude."

The burly man swung his fist to punch but Chris ducked and swung around, avoiding the contact. Almost instantly he was behind the burly man and he planted a quick kick to the back of his knees, throwing off his already shaky balance and sending him crashing to the floor.

Jude jumped back to avoid the falling body as the blonde man's hold on her wrist loosened. He reached inside his jacket then swore angrily as he realized whatever he'd been reaching for wasn't present. 

Meanwhile another man had lunged at Chris who desperately trying to wrestle him away. He lifted his leg and kneed the guy in the stomach then head butted him as he keeled over in pain.

Burly man was getting to his feet and Jude glanced around her desperately. A barrel was sitting next to her and she reached for it, putting all her weight into tipping the heavy item. She rolled it toward the burly man and it knocked him to the ground once again.

A man advanced toward her and she grabbed the only weapon in reach; a light bulb. She swung it toward him as if it was a tennis ball and he yelped and ducked to the side to avoid it. He wasn't so lucky with the second swing and the glass shattered as it connected with his shoulder. He leapt back to avoid the un-caged electricity as Jude's eyes fell on the rifle on the far wall.

She only had time to glance briefly at Chris and she cringed as he received a sharp blow to his jaw. There were two men attacking him and another two poised to join in should one of his opponents be taken out. If they thought this was a fair fight they were sadly mistaken.

"Come on pretty," the light bulb man said as he advanced toward Jude, "there's nowhere to run." He lunged at her and Jude turned to run. She let out a startled and angry cry as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against him.

"Let her go!" a familiar voice rang throughout the claustrophobic space and Jude looked up to see Tommy standing in the doorway. His voice had sounded confident enough but his eyes were wide and ashen as he gazed at the scene about him.

No sooner had he stepped foot in the door then a man lunged at him. Jude watched as he deflected a blow and once again turned her attention to her captor. She kicked back multiple times against his shins until he cried out in pain and finally released her.

She tipped tables and chairs behind her to create obstacles in his path as she crossed the room to the far wall. Finally the rifle was in reach and with shaky hands she lunged for it. She had no idea if it was loaded as she lifted it up and pointed the barrel into the air. She pulled back on the trigger without a moment's pause and the sound of the rifle firing resounded throughout the room as a bullet ripped up into the stone roof.

Eighteen sets of eyes turned to stare at her. In her distraction and terror she didn't fail to notice the shocked expression on Tommy's face or the admiration-filled look Chris was giving her. He shoved away the man in front of him and ran a sleeve along his bloody nose as he waited for her next move.

"I'm leaving," Jude said assertively as she pointed the rifle at the group of men in front of her. She swung it about from left to right, trying to keep each man within range as she backed toward the door. "If anyone tries anything I'll shoot you." The threat sounded hollow to her own ears and she was surprised no one called her on it. 

She reached the door as Tommy did. A second later Chris had escaped the crowd and joined them. "Give me the gun," he instructed Jude.

Tommy gaped at him, "Oh yeah, you've done such a great job so far, she should definitely give you our only weapon."

"Oh what, so you came to save the day and didn't even bring your handgun?" Chris snapped back.

Tommy reddened slightly, the statement obviously true. "Where's yours?"

Chris' face was a mirror of Tommy's expression seconds earlier.

Meanwhile the group of men in the room where exchanging baffled looks as they began to advance on Jude. "Guys," she snapped, "I really don't think now is the time!" She turned and ran down the cave entrance, praying there weren't any rocks or objects that could trip her in her way. The small pinpoint of light up ahead was her sole target and she could hear Tommy and Chris's footsteps behind her.

She ran out into the light gasping for air and blinking in pain from the harsh midday sun. Chris was suddenly behind her and before she knew what had happened he took the gun from her unexpecting hands and ran up ahead to the car.

Jude blinked in surprise. Despite what had seemingly been her rescuing them she was obviously still Tommy and Chris' prisoner. Confirming her thoughts Tommy grabbed her arm as he ran beside her and tugged her over to the car where Chris was already waiting behind the wheel.

The two slid into the backseat as Chris threw the car into reverse. The car skidded on the grass and slid before righting itself. Through the back window Jude spied a group of men running out of the cave entrance and she watch wide eyed as they yelled and waved their fists after her. For a moment she feared they would pursue her in the nearby cars but no one made a move to follow.

Her gaze met the beady eyed blonde man as he stood in the center of the group and nodded slightly to her. Seconds later the car had turned and the dense forest blocked her view.

----

_**"Cause in this life it's hard to tell what's false and what is true…"**_

The road was too open and exposed. Jude shrank down in her seat as she glanced about her, wide eyed. Any moment she expected shotgun toting hillbillies to come leaping out of the bushes. Tommy glanced at her momentarily before meeting Chris' eyes in the rear view mirror. 

"What was that?" he asked.

Chris huffed and spluttered before answering; "The dude turned on us. He suddenly decided he was keeping Jude. What was I supposed to do?"

Tommy glanced at Jude again. She shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. She wasn't up to conversation and interrogative gazes when her existence of late was nothing but unanswered questions.

"Why'd you come anyway?" Chris asked bitterly.

"I had a bad feeling."

"Did this bad feeling come with transportation?" Chris asked.

Jude turned to gaze at Tommy, her interest piqued. There'd been no extra car at the mine and she was left wondering how Tommy arrived so quickly.

"I have my ways," Tommy responded coolly.

Chris snorted and rolled his eyes.

"What now?" Jude asked quietly, her voice sounding foreign to her ears and theirs.

Tommy opened his mouth to answer but Chris cut him off. "Now we take our not so welcome guest back to the apartment and then continue with the assignment."

Jude gulped. "There's more?"

Tommy seemed surprised by this information too, not to mention unhappy. He gritted his teeth. "I'm staying. After what happened back there it's pretty clear you've proven you can't handle this alone."

Chris' icy eyes gazed back at him through the mirror, "Yeah, you think the boss will agree with that?"

Tommy nodded defiantly, "Yeah, I do."

Chris spun around in his seat to face Tommy and Jude felt her stomach lurch as the car swerved suddenly, Chris' attention no longer on driving. "You wanna call him and ask then?" 

Tommy looked uncertain.

"Guys," Jude spoke loudly to be heard over the screaming testosterone. When they fought like this the two men somehow managed to lose all their hold of fear over her. She spoke sarcastically. "You know in situations like this you should really keep authority issues amongst yourselves. If you want to present a united front it's really not the best idea to show the weak underbelly. Unless you're playing the good cop bad cop routine, in which case this would be perfect. Except for the fact, of course, that neither of you can actually decide which one is the good cop!"

"Shut the hell up!" Chris had had his eyes on the road again but once more he spun around, swinging his arm as if he were going to hit her.

Tommy dove forward and shoved him back into his seat, "Just drive the damn car!" he snapped.

"Ah," Jude muttered to Tommy sarcastically, "So you're playing good cop today."

"I'll drive the car," Chris said, ignoring her comments and very presence, "straight back to the apartment where I'll be dropping you off. Jude and I will continue on alone as was instructed. I'll take the gun if it makes you feel any better. Besides, for the most part, the dangerous bit is over." He tilted his head to the side slightly as he pondered, "I think…"

**Preview for Part 18****  
**_**"Is there anyone out there? 'Cause its getting harder and harder to breathe…"**_

_She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she walked around to the front of the car and over to the waiting man. He was tall, far over six feet and he towered over her. She imagined his shadow would have drowned her had there been any sun to cast it._

"You got it?" he asked.

"M-Money first," her voice broke on the last word and she cringed inwardly. 


	19. Chapter 18: Harder and harder to breathe

_I haven't actually written for UB in at least a week. These are chapters I wrote awhile back. It's crazy. I have murder and mayhem in the chapter I'm currently writing and I got bored. I'm such a girl... _

**Part 18****  
**_**"Is there anyone out there? 'Cause its getting harder and harder to breathe…"**_

Jude drummed her fingers against the armrest of the passenger door as Chris ripped open the brown paper package he'd received at the mine. She'd been bold and irritated as he and Tommy feuded a half hour or so ago but the moment Tommy stepped out of the car (after much arguing and threatening) she'd once again felt vulnerable and unsafe. The two men were certainly stronger apart. Combined they spent more time attacking each other then they even spent glancing at her.

Her eyes widened as the paper was peeled away to reveal dried leaves. Her eyes widened as recognition blossomed. "Is that…" her whispered question faded away.

Chris nodded and grinned as he held the package up to the light, eyeing its contents from various angles. "Want some?"

"No!" She didn't care if he was kidding or serious. She wasn't going to touch the stuff and she wouldn't entertain any other facade for a second.

"Come on, it'll be fun. You could do with a little relaxation." He leaned toward her almost imperceptibly, holding the package toward her.

She slunk back in her seat, her back pressed up against the door. She was disgusted at the mere presence of a substance she'd seen do so much damage to so many lives. "I don't do drugs."

He leaned toward her even more, his expression menacing, "What if I said you didn't have a choice?"

She gaped at him and shook her head incredulously, "What on earth is it to you if I do your stinking drugs or not?"

He held the drugs up to his nose and inhaled. "Actually, they smell quite nice. Want a-?" He started to offer it to her then stopped, "No, right. You really don't."

He smirked and leaned back, taking the drugs with him. "Chill. I was just kidding."

She glared at him and determined to relax but her entire body felt on edge, ready to run or fight if either became necessary or possible. The interior of the car was so very claustrophobic, the air damp and heavy. She wished she were in the backseat rather then the front.

Chris was scanning the scrub surrounding the car and she glanced back in the direction of the road, hoping to see a passing car. As usual there was none. It began to rain suddenly and the rain drops against the car's metal roof echoed noisily in the space inside.

A bush to their left shook slightly and Jude felt her blood chill. She gripped the armrest, her knuckles turning white. A man stepped out of the bushes, tall and dressed in dark brown attire including a cowboy hat that blended in with the naked tree trunks behind him. Chris waved him over and the man began walking toward the car.

"Who's he?" Jude hissed as she slid down in her seat, trying to get out of the man's range of vision. He scared her.

"Client," Chris answered. He wrapped the brown paper package up again then reached in his pocket for the handgun he'd retrieved at the apartment. Holding the gun by the barrel in one hand he held the drugs out to Jude. "Take it."

"I told you I don't want-"

He flipped the gun around until the barrel was staring directly at her. She stared down the cylinder of death then up into his angry eyes. "Take it right _now_" he barked.

She took the package, feeling dread welling up inside of her as she awaited further instruction. Chris motioned with his gun to the man who was now standing in front of the car. "Walk over to him and wait until he gives you the money. There should be five thousand in five different bundles of one hundred dollar notes. Check it quickly and then hand him the package."

Why Jude was surprised by anything that came her way anymore, she didn't know. But this was no different.

"I am not pedaling drugs for you!" she breathed, stupefied.

He flicked off the safety on his gun and tossed it from one hand to the other before once again pointing it at her. "Pedal the drugs or take a bullet, it's your choice."

She paused for a moment, her mind scrambling for an excuse or way out. When she came up empty handed she nodded her head in defeat, "Fine."

Chris undid the central locking and Jude opened her door. She stepped out and his voice called after her in the crisp afternoon ear, "Try anything and you'll regret it."

She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she walked around to the front of the car and over to the waiting man. He was tall, far over six feet and he towered over her. She imagined his shadow would have drowned her had there been any sun to cast it. 

"You got it?" he asked.

"M-Money first," her voice broke on the last word and she cringed inwardly.

The man didn't seem to notice as he pulled five bundles of notes out of his hand and handed them to her. She glanced at the notes then back at Chris who nodded and motioned for her to hand over the drugs.

The man tore open the package and held it up to the light as he peered at it intently. Obviously content with what he found he deposited the drugs in a pocket inside his jacket then tipped the bill of his hat to Jude. She was backing toward the car when his words made her suddenly speed up, her heart leaping into her throat as her world pulsed and threatened to shatter around her.

"Pleasure doing business with you, _Miss Harrison_."

----

_**"Read my lips because I'm so over it."**_

"He knew my name," Jude whispered as the Sedan tore over the shining tarmac and back to the apartment. "How did he know my name?"

"Why you're Jude Harrison," Chris remarked with an amused chuckle. He seemed to partake in constant mood swings; happy one moment, icy the next, annoyed and violent the second after that. She wished the happy go lucky and flirtatious Chris would return. She wished she didn't have to always second guess him. She wished she were anywhere but here.

"You're the first ever Instant Star," he spoke like an awe filled fan, amazed to even be in her presence. The sarcasm was rife. "Who _doesn't_ know who you are?"

She put a hand to her forehead as a migraine threatened to take over. "Are we done yet? Can we go back to the apartment?"

"Awe," he reached over and patted her shoulder. She instantly shied away. "Is the rock star missing her boy bander boyfriend? Don't worry. You'll be reunited soon enough."

A few moments later the car pulled up front of the apartment. Jude reached for her door handle and pulled on it in frustration, despite the fact that she knew it was pointless. Chris shook his head as if horrified by her stupidity as he climbed out of the car and locked his door behind him. He walked around the front of the car and paused. He drummed his hands against the car bonnet loudly, drumming some quick beat. Jude leapt at the sudden, violent sound.

Chris chuckled and walked the rest of the way around the car. He unlocked her door and opened it just enough for his arm to reach inside. He grabbed her arm and once he was certain he had her secured he swung the door open and bowed low to the ground, his other arm sweeping out in a welcoming motion.

Jude ignored his frivolity as she stepped out of the car. Happy go lucky Chris was back for a brief visit but she wasn't buying it. His eyes were still icy.

The front door swung open and Jude glanced up to the top of the external staircase to see Tommy gripping onto the railing and gazing down at them.

"See?" Chris asked as he poked Jude's shoulder painfully, "all in one piece. All that drama for nothing."

Tommy nodded slightly, his expression stony as he released the railing and took a step back. He was trying to act casual and calm but failing miserably.

Chris reached into his pocket and took out one of the wads of money, "and look what we got!"

----

_**Time is a valuable thing. Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings…**_

Jude gazed at the clock on the kitchen wall, waiting impatiently as the seconds ticked away. A minute passed and the clock hit eight PM. She sighed. It was officially a week since she was kidnapped. She'd been held hostage in this ramshackle building in the middle of nowhere for seven long and terrifying days.

She rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she continued to watch the hands of the clock.

How much longer until she was rescued? A day? Another week? Months? She wished she were allowed control of the television and could change to a news channel. Her people must be searching for her. She imagined her parents making a plea to her kidnappers on national television and cringed at the thought of the emotional pain they must be suffering.

She just wanted to see their faces again. Even a brief glimpse on this static ridden old television set would suffice; it would hold her over until the next glimmer of hope appeared.

But hope it seemed was not on the agenda. Chris was playing around with a stack of old cards on the table as Tommy leaned against the wall by the silent television set, watching Jude with his now familiar calculating and cool expression. 

She shrugged at him, meeting his steady gaze, "So what's next, Quincy? You have a new method of torture on the schedule?"

From behind her Chris gasped in surprise, "Torture! Now that would be fun. Can we? Can we? Huh?"

She didn't turn to look at him, not even to cast that withering glance she so desperately longed to divulge.

Tommy shoved away from the wall and glanced out the window at the new day that was dawning. The sun was shining a little but winter still had its hold. The shaded ground was still white from the frost the previous night and where the ice had melted the grass sparkled with the still present liquid moisture.

"I was thinking a nice little drive," he remarked slowly.

Jude rolled her eyes, "How original. We _never_ do that!"

He turned to face her again, leaning his head back against the window so that he was looking down at her, "Girl's like shopping right?"

That question had her interest. Provided it wasn't shopping for more cannabis or weapons; yes, she liked shopping. Shopping meant shops, shops meant civilization, civilization meant people and people meant… help?

"I guess."

He smirked, "Good. Let's go shopping then."

**Preview for Part 19****  
**_**"I just can't seem to beat it 'cause my hearts still numb to fear. And the smile is all that talking and the pain is all that real..."**_

_Her eyes widened and she punched his stomach as hard as she could. He exhaled sharply, the air knocked out of him momentarily before he grabbed the offending hand and pinned it next to her face._

"Okay, okay," she gasped desperately, the words coming out as little more then muffled breaths through the barrier that was Tommy's hands. She stilled her other hand from its attack then held it up in front of her in a surrendering fashion. She nodded her head slightly, trying to communicate her message as she met his glittering eyes.


	20. Chapter 19: heart's still numb to fear

_I'm so frustrated with this story right now. Warning: the next few chapters might suck. Or at least I think so..._

_I was kind of missing scary Tommy. He's fun to write…_

**Part 19****  
**_**"I just can't seem to beat it 'cause my hearts still numb to fear. And the smile is all that talking and the pain is all**_

that real..."

Jude stifled a yawn as the sedan sped through back roads of fields and hillsides. She felt her heartbeat begin to

speed up the first time she spotted an approaching car. She watched wide eyed as the white family van casually drove past, her head turning to watch through the back window as it disappeared from view behind them.

"Don't even think about waving or trying to get attention," Tommy said from his position in the passenger seat, "The windows are tinted and all you'd achieve is pissing me off." 

"Sounds worth it," she remarked with a sardonic smirk as she waved at a passing biker. It wasn't until she watched him disappear around a corner behind them that she noticed the gang patch on his shoulder. Okay, so maybe not the kind of help she wanted.

Tommy wasn't impressed. "Must you antagonize everyone around you?" He glanced over his shoulder at her briefly, not really turning or making eye contact in a fashion she despised.

She folded her arms across her chest and sunk down in her seat, opting to look out the window since he wasn't bothering to look at her anyway. "No, just you."

Chris chuckled and she was quick to add, "You too."

A young couple in a silver convertible sped past and Jude pounded her hands against the windows so hard that she felt the glass move beneath her hands. "Help! I've been kidnapped by buffoons!" she yelled, feeling an unusual surge of daft courage creep into her veins. 

Perhaps it was idiotic. Even she could see it was stupid but she wasn't in the mood to care. She'd lost her fear filled respect for Tommy and Chris with their bickering and distraction and after facing a mine fill of aggressive cowboys and one shady drug user – she felt a hell of a lot stronger. In this particular moment she wasn't afraid. But as they say; 'all good things must come to an end.'

Tommy reached down to the left hand side of his chair and pulled the reclining lever. The seat fell back a foot or two and with the help of the additional space he half climbed over, half climbed between the passenger and driver seats.

Chris swore at him angrily, slapping his feet out of his face as the car swerved dramatically.

Jude didn't move as he dove toward her but it wasn't stoic courage or determination not to be intimidated. It was simply down to that little thing she felt regarding Tommy a lot lately; surprise.

Tommy kicked his seat back into the correct position, clearing up the spacious back seat as he simultaneously punched the release button of Jude's seatbelt and grabbed her shoulders. He slid her forward until she was sitting in the middle seat, clearing space behind her which was quickly filled when he pushed her down until she was lying on her back on the narrow seat. He pressed down on her shoulders, pushing her into the soft seat as he leaned over her menacingly.

Once again terror crept into her veins.

She tried to shove him away, her fingers digging into his chest as she pushed desperately, "What are you-"

He released one hand from her shoulder and clamped it over her mouth firmly, his fingertips digging into her cheek almost painfully. "Shut up," he growled through gritted teeth.

Her eyes widened and she punched his stomach as hard as she could. He exhaled sharply, the air knocked out of him momentarily before he grabbed the offending hand and pinned it next to her face.

"Okay, okay," she gasped desperately, the words coming out as little more then muffled breaths through the barrier that was Tommy's hands. She stilled her other hand from its attack then held it up in front of her in a surrendering fashion. She nodded her head slightly, trying to communicate her message as she met his glittering eyes.

"Geeze Tommy," Chris glanced over the back of his seat, "Let her go."

For the first time Tommy's gaze and attention left Jude's face. He turned to Chris and angrily snapped, "Did I ask your opinion? Just drive the damn car!"

Jude's chest rose and fell heavily as she desperately gasped for air. Finally she felt Tommy's hand on her mouth loosen and slide away. She blinked and didn't move a muscle as he slid back in his seat so he was no longer leaning over her menacingly. The hand which had been holding hers down in a bone crushing squeeze loosened and slid from her hand and down her arm, tracing a slow and hazy path over the pale skin before he removed it from her body entirely and ran it through his hair. He turned to stare out his window, dismissing her from his attention with his eyes and manner.

She moved slowly so as not to aggravate or attract his attention as she slid back onto her seat on the far side of the car. She rested her elbow on the window frame, her shaking fingertips dancing over her hairline then down to cup her chin as she willed her heartbeat to return to her normal rate and her breath not to come out in jagged gasps.

Her eyes caught Chris' in the rear vision mirror as he glanced back at her. His expression was too masked and guarded that she didn't even try to read it but the question flittered through her mind: '_Does this mean you're good cop today?_'

----

_**"I just remembered that time at the market…"**_

Jude barely looked up as the car coasted into the old worn parking lot of small grocery store. They'd entered a town about a kilometer back. The wilderness had gradually sprung up into desolate looking houses that led to a small town center containing a gas station, grocery store, post office and hardware store.

Chris stopped the car in an empty space beneath a tired old tree. It barely cast a shadow except for the places where its thin limbs blocked the dim sunlight. It felt as if a scrawny giant was reaching for their car, its shadow slowly washing over them.

Chris turned around in his chair, one arm slung over the back as he waited. "Well?" he finally asked.

Tommy turned from the window where he'd been lost in thought. "What?"

Chris' eyebrows rose questioningly, "You want me to give the instructions because I gathered that was so your favorite part of life in general."

For a moment Tommy seemed to collect himself, as if he was mentally reaching around him and pulling himself back together and into his impenetrable armor. He shook his head slightly and reached into his pocket.

Jude gripped the door handle a little tighter at the familiar gleam of silver then felt further panic as Chris retrieved his gun from his pocket and held it in front of him too. They were silently showing her guns and had she not just lost her confidence she would have made some snide comment but as it was she just nodded. 

"Chris will be staying in the car to watch you the entire time," Tommy began but Chris interrupted.

"No, you stay, I'll go in."

Tommy's eyes drifted skyward as he shook his head angrily and impatiently, "No, there's no way-"

"They'll recognize you and then they'll recognize Jude. It's not a risk worth taking."

He had a point and Tommy could see it. He mulled over his option for a moment before nodding in defeat. "I'll stay in the car and watch you. You go with Chris to the front door and then you sit on that bench and wait," he pointed out a red bench in front of the old brick building. It sat next to a trashcan and Coke machine. "I'll be watching you so don't try anything. You don't talk to anyone, you don't try to attract attention, you don't _sing_. Don't even make eye contact. Got it?"

Jude had been watching the bench and the few people who passed it. She turned around and unable to look at Tommy after their previous encounter, she directed her question to Chris, "What's the point? Why would you guys even risk this?"

Chris smirked, "For us to know and you to obsess over." He glanced at Tommy, "We set?"

Tommy nodded and Chris climbed out of the car and walked back to Jude's door. Tommy glanced at her though she refused to meet his gaze, "_Don't_ try anything."

----

_**"Nobody knows your name, it's easier..." **_

From a distance the bench had seemed closer to the ground but as she sat back on it, Jude's feet dangled in the air, centimeters from the ground. She leaned back against the brick wall and closed her eyes. The sun was harsh today and she was grateful for the pair of dark glasses Tommy had insisted she wear.

She was aware of the people passing her though she didn't look at them or acknowledge them in any way. She'd taken her risk for the day and lived to regret it.

She couldn't help but wonder though, what would happen if she did try to attract attention. Yes, Tommy was less then a hundred feet away, watching her through the clear windshield of the black Sedan. If she turned her head a little she'd see him staring right at her, video camera in hand, so she didn't. But if she flagged down attention how would he react? Did she really believe he'd shoot someone? No, but she did think he was capable of something dangerous? Wielding a gun as he ran over and pulled her from safety's clutches perhaps? And wouldn't she just be endangering the innocent?

She sighed and a voice drifted over to her, "Bad day?"

She glanced to her right slowly to see a guy not much older then herself slipping a coin into the slot of the Coke machine. She glanced over at Tommy. He hadn't said what to do if someone spoke to her. She looked down at her lap, watching the light reflect on her star ring. "I can't talk to you," she said quietly, barely moving her lips.

He turned to her, leaning one arm against the machine as he paused. "Why not?"

"Please." she sounded desperate, "Don't act like you're talking to me. It's important."

His eyebrows rose in surprise but he obeyed her request and turned back to the machine, acting as if she weren't there. He pretended to be having difficulty choosing, prolonging pressing the button and receiving his can of soda.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She pretended to yawn and shaded her mouth with her hand, "I'm being watched. He has a gun."

So much for not taking any further risks…

**Preview for Part 20****  
**_**"I'm full of regret for all the things I have done and said…"**_

_She sped up her pace a little then stopped dead in her tracks as a loud gunshot rang through the silent air. _


	21. Chapter 20: I'm full of regrets

_I've been obsessing over this chapter for about a month and holding off posting it but I can't really figure out what to do so I'm just going to go ahead and post it. I already warned you the next chapters might suck. We're nearing the end of the first part of the story. _

_I've been taking a bit of a break from my writing for the sake of refreshing. I'm not sure how long it will take but certainly not as long as the actual show's hiatus. _

**Part 20****  
**_**"I'm full of regret for all the things I have done and said…"**_

"Please help me," Jude spoke quickly, trying to get the words out before time ran out, "I'm being held at an old building about thirty miles north of here. My name's Jude Harrison and I was kidnapped from G-Major records in Toronto a little over a week ago."

"You're that singer? You're all over the news!" His eyes widened. "What should I do?"

"Tell the police. I-"

Her words were cut off by Chris' voice to her left. "Tell the police what?" She turned to see him standing by the grocery store doors, a couple of plastic bags in one hand, "Sweetie, are you playing pranks on people again?" He walked over and ruffled her hair.

Not sure of the new circumstances the man by the Coke machine turned to watch them.

"I was just talking about this song I heard the other day," Jude had always been a crummy liar. Not once in her life had she gotten away with an untruth. She couldn't keep a secret without someone guessing. Today was no different.

"I'm sorry man," Chris now spoke to Jude's unwitting ally, "she's a terrible prankster. She likes to trick people into believing she's in danger. She likes the attention. She's been seeing a therapist and it's improving but she does have relapses."

Jude gazed at him surprise, disbelieving that he was saying such ridiculous thing.

"How about you go back to the car, honey, I'll be right there," He handed her the bags and she silently took them, noticing that as he moved his arm his jacket moved back to reveal the hilt of the gun sticking out of his jeans pocket.

She slowly walked back to the car, feeling her heart drop as she noticed that the street was suddenly deserted. Not a person was in sight, not an ally or friend. She summoned up the courage to look at Tommy and not to her surprise he wasn't impressed. She watched him grit his teeth and wave his hand angrily for her to hurry up.

She sped up her pace a little then stopped dead in her tracks as a loud gunshot rang through the silent air. She spun around to see Chris standing with a gun in hand and the Coke guy lying still on the ground. She might have screamed, she wasn't sure but she stood there stupefied as she gazed in horror at the scene in front of her.

There was voices and commotion from inside the grocery store and she heard the car door open behind her as Tommy yelled, "Jude, get into the car _right_ now."

She turned and ran toward him, the grocery bags catching the wind and flying about her as she leapt off the curb and across the tarmac. Tommy had opened the passenger door and she leapt inside. The engine was already running as she closed the door behind her, the grocery bags heaped on her lap.

Through the windshield she saw Chris racing over to them, shoving his gun into his pocket as he moved. He waved for them to stop as Tommy threw the car into reverse and backed. Tommy obviously had no intention of waiting. As the car turned Chris reached the back door and threw it open. He leapt inside and closed the door as the car sped away from the store.

Jude glanced behind her to see people spilling out the front doors and rushing to the body on the ground. She covered her mouth with her hand as tears sprung into her eyes. It was all her fault.

----

_**"You are the one. Look what you've done. What have you done?"**_

"What did you do?" Tommy yelled as he sped out of the town. People stared at the car as it flew past shops and houses. If the gunshot hadn't caught attention; Tommy's driving certainly did.

Jude chanced a glance at Chris. His hands were shaking as he gazed with contempt at the gun loosely grasped in his left hand. He didn't answer; in fact he didn't even seem to have heard Tommy.

"Chris!" 

Finally he glanced about him dazedly, "what?"

"Please tell me you didn't just shoot someone," Tommy's voice was a little shaky and panic ridden.

"I… I had to," he was scrambling for the words, for the reason, not just for Tommy but for himself, he knew he was going to cause problems. His eyes locked with Jude as she gazed at him over the back of her seat, "It was your fault! You told him!"

Tommy eyes shifted from the road to Jude momentarily and she anticipated a strong verbal reprimand or even a slap or punch but he just swerved the car onto a back road and kept driving. "I didn't," her voice was so weak she could barely make it out. It was highly unlikely Chris could hear her, "I didn't mean for-"

Chris' lips curled into a snarl as he opened his mouth to answer.

"Are we being followed?" Tommy interrupted.

Chris glanced behind him, "I don't think so."

Jude turned around in her seat, unable to look at Chris any longer. The entire scene felt strangely disjointed, as if the three of them were fractured pieces of a picture. She was a mere foot away from Tommy, just a handbrake separating them and yet she felt as if the distance was stretching. That if she reached out to touch him now she'd see her hand floating right there in front of her with him miles away.

The way they were acting, the way she was acting and what had just happened; nothing seemed real.

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be…

----

_**"This very moment of timid and fragile honesty is precious and rare and fleeting…"**_

The springs squeaked and the mattress sagged as Jude sat perched on the edge of the large bed. The door silently clicked shut and she glanced up briefly to see Tommy standing there, one hand still on the door handle as he slowly released it and allowed it to turn back to its natural position.

The room was dark except for the few beams of ebbing light filtering through the planks of wood covering the window. Tommy walked toward her and she shrank back, only to relax her posture when he reached for the small lamp on the floor next to the bed rather then her. He turned it on and the corner of the room glowed in the newfound light.

Jude gazed at her fingernails as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world. Inside her was a pain she'd never imagined could be possible. She felt nauseous, she felt terrified, she felt heart-crushing guilt, and her heart felt as if it was going to explode from the barrage of emotions. Her eyes stung but she refused to allow her self to cry. She blinked angrily and picked at the cuticle of her thumb, angrily pushing the flap of skin away from the nail.

Tommy sighed softly as he took the few steps to the nearby wall and leaned against it. "It's not your fault, you know," he said quietly.

She snorted derisively. "I asked him for help. I got him involved. I wasn't supposed to be speaking to anyone but I didn't listen and now…" Her voice broke and with a soft gasp her hand flew to her mouth. 

"You were listening to your survival instincts," Tommy smiled sadly, perhaps thinking back to that piece of advice he'd given in the service station bathroom a little over a week ago. "Doing what you did… it wasn't wrong. No one would think less of you for it. I'd think less of you if you hadn't tried or taken that risk."

She lifted her head to gaze at him accusingly, "You're a contradiction, Quincy."

He shrugged, "Sorry."

She lifted her feet up off the floor and onto the bed, one hand reaching for the thin comforter which she pulled up around her shoulders. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek on her kneecaps. The beams of light cast upon the opposite wall where speckled and changing and she realized it was raining outside.

She thought of the man who was most likely dead because of her and remembered his body lying on the pavement. The rain would be washing away his blood as if it had never existed but she would never forget.

"I wish," Tommy spoke then stopped himself. He pressed his fingertips to his forehead and closed his eyes momentarily, "There are things you don't know and I'm sorry. I know this makes no sense and I am sorry for that at least." 

She glared at him, "But not the rest?"

He shook his head. "No."

**Preview for Part 21****  
**_**I hear in my mind all of these voices. I hear in my mind all of these words.**_

_Suddenly Chris was leaning forward, his arms on the back of the chair and his face mere inches from hers, filling her entire vision. "This is your fault, you know," he said angrily, through gritted teeth, "everything that happened yesterday and everything that will happen from now on – you brought it on yourself." His eyes scanned hers and she didn't have the time to put up a façade of courage. He saw straight through to the scared little girl hidden beneath the lifeless dark hair and sparkling blue eyes and suddenly she was falling. _


	22. Chapter 21: Hurry up and wait

_So I was about to post Chapter 22 only to realize I hadn't posted 21… _

**Part 21****  
**_**"Forget the urgency but hurry up and wait, my heart is starting to separate…"**_

Jude was grateful when Tommy locked her in his, or as it was lately – their bedroom and went to talk to Chris. She didn't want him watching her, observing her in that confusing mixture of sympathy and contempt.

At first she'd knelt by the door, feeling the cold air seeping through the crack beneath it and shivering. She'd retrieved a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders as she pressed her ear to the door.

"How could you do that?" Tommy was asking it quietly but not emotionlessly. There was anger in his voice.

"His knowing put everything in danger," Chris responded weakly.

"You _killed_ a man, Chris! An innocent man who had nothing to do with any of this."

"What do you want me to do? It's done!"

Jude heard footsteps and assumed Tommy was pacing, "Before they could do me for kidnapping and imprisonment but now they'll probably add accessory to murder and who knows what other charges to it. The first, the first I thought I could deal with in time but the rest…"

"It's all about you, huh?" Chris asked angrily, "Poor little boy bander with the perfect life. I'm the one who pulled the trigger; I'm the one who'll pay for it. And why the hell are you being such a pessimist? We're not going to get caught!"

"Gee, Mr. Grimm. Are you confusing this with a fairytale? How are we not going to get caught?"

"If you were so certain this was going to go badly then why'd you even get involved?"

"I had no choice."

"Bull." 

There was silence after that, a pregnant silence. She could imagine the two of them facing off, huffing and panting like two angry bulls, pawing at the ground and preparing to lock horns and tear each other apart.

The silence continued and she decided she'd had enough. The floorboards were hard, cold and rough beneath her knees and she could feel her foot falling asleep. She stood up and hobbled over to the bed, feeling that familiar alarming sensation of having no foot at all, and then the tingling pain as the feeling began to return.

She climbed into bed, pulling the rug high around her shoulders and burrowing her face under it. The man from the Coke machine's face flashed before her eyes the moment she closed her eyes and she winced at the pain the memory brought about. The gun shot echoed in her ears and she could see the bullet flying through the air and connecting with the man's chest as he fell back to the ground. She hadn't seen any of this take place but the images were so clear in her mind.

She cried then, for how long she couldn't say. The moon shone bright through the window, bathing her small body in the large bed as the dark shadows played about the rest of the room. Next door was silence and anger until Tommy finally returned, locking the door firmly behind him. He eyed Jude who had now fallen asleep, sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair before taking off his shoes and settling into sleep for the night on the armchair by the bed.

----

"I wish that you would burst in the door and take me away… no more mistakes…"

Jude sighed to herself as she paced in front of the bedroom door. She threw constant frowning glances at the doorknob before returning her gaze to the empty space she inhabited. Tommy had been gone when she woke this morning and she was left trapped in her miniature prison. In fact the trapped part of the previous statement hadn't been completely established. She had yet to turn the doorknob and see if she was banished to this space or meant to come out into the main room.

Testing the doorknob meant turning it and with these old doors turning the doorknob meant in squeaking and loudly announcing her presence at the door.

She wasn't ready to face Chris just yet and if for some reason Tommy weren't in the other room – she wasn't strong enough to face Chris alone. 

"You're being pathetic," she murmured to herself as she softly pressed her fingertips to the door and rested her forehead against the rough wood it comprised of. "Do it, Jude."

Having talked herself into it she acted before she could talk herself out. She reached down and quickly and decisively turned the doorknob. It turned with ease and with a little applied pressure the door swung in toward her. When she had the courage to peer around she found Tommy standing at the kitchen sink and glancing over his shoulder at her. 

"Sleeping beauty finally awakens, huh?" he asked in a line that somehow seemed more fitting to Chris.

"Had enough of the Prince and his kisses?" She jumped at Chris' voice close to her ear, so close she could feel his breath against her cheek. She spun to see him standing beside her; smelling of soap and with a towel slung over his shoulder. He'd obviously just come from the bathroom and she was sorely reminded the door was right beside the door to Tommy's room.

She didn't answer; instead she looked away from him, eyeing a small trickle of water running down the wall opposite her as steady rain poured outside.

"I made you some toast," Tommy motioned to a pile of bread on the table as he returned to his coffee. "Damn, we're out of sugar."

Chris threw his towel onto the sofa and turned to Tommy, "There's a few of those little packets I swiped from a café in the glove box," he remarked casually.

Tommy nodded and walked toward the door, "I'll be right back." 

Before the door had even closed behind him Chris was standing behind Jude and leaning forward to whisper into her ear, "Sit down, have something to eat 'hon." Placing both hands on her shoulders he firmly pushed her toward the table, seeming in quite a hurry.

"I can walk," Jude murmured. She'd been all prepared to keep her sarcastic and goading comments to herself but alas it wasn't as easy as she'd thought.

Chris pushed her down into one of the rickety wooden chairs by the table and it squeaked loudly at her knew found weight, wobbling slightly on its uneven legs.

"We've got jam and honey," Chris motioned to the table and reached behind a box of cereal and picked up a tub of butter, "and butter of course." He threw the butter down on the plate in front of Jude and she cringed at the loud sound of plastic hitting the china and crashing into the knife.

Suddenly Chris was leaning forward, his arms on the back of the chair and his face mere inches from hers, filling her entire vision. "This is your fault, you know," he said angrily, through gritted teeth, "everything that happened yesterday and everything that will happen from now on – you brought it on yourself." His eyes scanned hers and she didn't have the time to put up a façade of courage. He saw straight through to the scared little girl hidden beneath the lifeless dark hair and sparkling blue eyes and suddenly she was falling.

She barely noticed as his hands firmly shoved the chair backward. Her hands were too busy reaching out for something to hold onto as she began a hopeless fall into space. She caught a glimpse of Chris' face receding as she fell away from him and he returned to his seat. His eyes were icy and she could see – he was enjoying this.

The chair crashed into the ground and she felt the air getting knocked from her lungs with the force of it. She rolled sideways, falling off the capsized chair as her knees crashed to the tattered linoleum covered floor. She coughed and wheezed and gasped for oxygen but none came.

She was lying on her side, one hand to her throat and desperate tears stinging her eyes when Tommy returned. "I couldn't find the sugar you- what the hell is going on?" The door slammed shut behind him and instantly he was kneeling at Jude's side. 

"She was playing with her chair and it fell over," Chris remarked casually from across the table as he flipped through a newspaper.

Tommy's eyes were shooting disbelieving daggers at him before he turned to Jude. "Jude?" he asked.

She wasn't sure if he was asking for a confirmation or denial but she couldn't give either. Finally she was able to inhale and she closed her eyes as the sweet oxygen filled her lungs. She rolled sideways until she was face down on the floor, one hand level with her head and palm down against the floorboard as Tommy stared at her helplessly.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears that were stinging them before pushing herself away from the floor. It was just a chair falling over – she'd suffered that many times in her life and not always from her own hand. She didn't look at Tommy as she stood to her feet and righted the chair. She couldn't summon the energy to prepare her toast, instead she rested her elbow on the table and cupped her chin in her hand; staring lifelessly at the dry bread in front of her. 

**Preview for Part 22****  
**_**"She ran until she's out of breath, she ran until there's nothing left…"**_

_A storm was brewing outside and Jude watched as snowdrops floated dreamily through the air as they fell to the ground. Chris's figure disappeared to the left as he started down the external staircase and for a few seconds the door was a frame to a beautiful picture of redemption, new beginnings and freedom and then it was gone; with a casual kick from Tommy's leather boots the door swung shut with a loud clanging echo. _


	23. Chapter 22: She ran

_I can't say how many chapters to go to till the end of Part 1 of Untimely Betrayal and a semi overhaul of the story. I can say that it will happen later in this same day (in the story)..._

**Part 22****  
**_**"She ran until she's out of breath, she ran until there's nothing left…"**_

Tommy sat next to Jude on the tattered old sofa, a little too close for her comfort in fact but then she realized his intention wasn't to make her uncomfortable. Since the incident with Chris and the chair earlier that day he'd become suspicious and protective – her very own guard dog; always a step behind her or ahead of her to check for metaphorical broken glass in her path.

In any other situation it would have been nice. Perhaps if she didn't view him as one of those very dangers he was trying to protect her from or perhaps if she didn't think his attempts where futile. Chris was crafty and intelligent, she knew that for sure. He'd find away around the hurdles in his path and probably come out on top.

He'd got away with murder once hadn't he? Chances are he'd probably do it again. And should he want to make her his lucky number three? Who knew, maybe he'd get away with that too.

Chris was humming an Elvis Presley song under his breath as he strolled about the room. He snapped his fingers and tapped his foot, occasionally doing a little dance as he circled around the sofa. He was creeping Jude out. She kept her eyes downcast.

The sound of a phone ringing echoed throughout the room and all three people glanced about, trying to find the source of the sound. Tommy spotted the cell phone on the kitchenette windowsill and pushed himself up from the sofa. With the change of weight on the cushions, Jude's balance was momentarily thrown off. She felt herself toppling sideways momentarily before she righted herself quickly. It was just long enough to feel that familiar rush of terror she'd felt earlier that day.

Chris spotted the phone just as Tommy stood and for a moment he started to walk toward it. He didn't follow through on the action once he'd earned from Tommy the glare he'd been trying for. He grinned in amusement and returned to tapping his foot though the humming and snapping had stopped.

Tommy kept his eyes on Jude's back as he pressed the speak button and held the phone to his ear. "Yeah… I figured you would have heard about that… It wasn't my idea. He acted alone and I'm not going to take the fall for this… That's it, seriously? You're just going to- yeah, okay… I don't think that's a good idea… What if someone recognizes us? And what about the car, people saw us leaving the town in it?" Obviously being given instructions, he sighed and took a notepad from his pocket. As she watched over her shoulder Jude felt a momentary pang of nostalgia at the familiar notebook; the same one Tommy would always bring out as they worked together on a song.

He scribbled a few words on the notebook, muttered a few grudging 'Yeah' and 'Okay's' then hung up the phone. He tore off the sheet of paper he'd written on and held it out to Chris. "We're getting a new car. He wants you to go pick it up."

Chris shrugged, "That's okay. You can go if you want. I won't tell if you don't. Jude and I will just stay here and cozy up by the fire. It'll be nice-" 

"Get the car, Chris." Tommy opened the apartment door and stood beside it, his expression conveying no room for argument and eventually Chris, with his ever present smirk, nodded and stepped out the door.

A storm was brewing outside and Jude watched as snowdrops floated dreamily through the air as they fell to the ground. Chris' figure disappeared to the left as he started down the external staircase and for a few seconds the door was a frame to a beautiful picture of redemption, new beginnings and freedom and then it was gone; with a casual kick from Tommy's leather boots the door swung shut with a loud clanging echo.

----

"If everything turned out as we planned we wouldn't have to go through any of this. Maybe I would be a better fit in my own skin, maybe…"

Jude had abandoned the sofa shortly after Chris left, about the time Tommy sat down on the end. Instead she opted to brave splinters and sit on the hard floor in front of the half hearted fire. Due to the fire her protest was somewhat lost on Tommy. He was scribbling in his notebook, occasionally glancing at his watch or nervously at the front door as if anticipating the police to bust in at any moment. 

She was envious of his notebook and missed her guitar terribly. There were hundreds of songs flittering around in her mind; little scraps of lyrics or chord variations, a few notes of a melody. Any other time she would have shared them with Tommy but now she guarded them jealously.

"You know we could move the sofa closer to the fire and then you could be comfortable," Tommy pointed out, not looking up from his book.

"No, thanks," Jude responded calmly. She watched as a piece of wood dissolved into cinders, causing the log that had been resting above it to fall deep within the flames.

Tommy's eyebrows rose, his jaw set grimly as he continued to write, he turned a page and chewed at the tip of his pencil as he often did when waiting for inspiration to strike.

"What's a good word to rhyme with chilling?" He asked, obviously trying to pull her out of their situation and into the solace of music.

"Villain," she responded quickly, shooting an accusatory glance in his direction, leaving no doubt as to whom the villain in her mind was.

"Right," he responded with a sigh. He put down his notebook and pencil and she felt her body tense as he stood to his feet. He crossed to the door and locked it with the keys which he deposited in his back pocket. He briefly shot Jude the same accusatory look, she'd given him earlier. He went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. 

Jude froze with her eyes on the bathroom door as the sound of a shower running drifted through. She stood up and walked over to the kitchen windows. Slowly she rested the palms of her hands against the glass, feeling the icy cold spread from the glass to her hands. Leaning forward she opened her mouth and exhaled, her warm breath quickly fogging up the window. Silently she watched as the fog disappeared, the glass slowly returning to clear. Again she exhaled and before the fog could disappear she slowly ran her finger through it in long decisive and connecting strokes, followed by a swirling arc. She stepped back, catching one last brief glimpse of her work before it disappeared into nothing, that one word; 'No'.

----

_**"When no one else can change your fate you'll have to do it for yourself..."**_

Each moment she was certain she'd hear the water stop, the inevitable silence as Tommy threw on clothes then stormed into the room but it seemed to never come. Perhaps the prolonged waiting made her the more nervous; the anticipation of what she knew would undoubtedly come. 

As quickly and as silently as humanly possible she searched every inch of the room that had become both so familiar and foreign in the last week. She tilted the sofa back and scanned underneath it, bravely she slid her hands under the cushions, she checked the walls; each and every crack or torn piece of wallpaper and finally she searched the kitchenette. Her search was mostly unsuccessful until she climbed up on the kitchen sink, her body forced to lean backwards into space due to the cupboards above. She opened one door quickly and wrapped her hands around the internal support, using it to keep her balance as she wobbled precariously.

Quickly she threw open each of the four cupboards and stood on tiptoes to see into the highest cupboards that were almost level with the roof. Nothing, nothing, nothing and then something… In the back of the last cupboard, the one closest to the wall where she could see out the small window onto the gravel covered driveway where Chris would soon return with the new car, something glinted in the dim light.

Biting her bottom lip and anticipating a rat trap she reached in, felt about and frowned. Her eyes widened as she withdrew her hand, bringing with it two large dagger like knives. She stared at them for a moment before reaching around in the cupboard again, her search brought up a few forks, a large old silver table spoon and a couple of teaspoons. She didn't stop to consider the presence of this half hearted cutlery set, she didn't have time.

Stealthily she leapt down from the bench, then strained to reach up and close the cupboard doors above her. She cringed as one slammed loudly, echoing throughout the room. The shower didn't stop and she quickly crouched down on the floor. She rolled up her pant leg and slid one dagger into the top of her socks, burying the tip in the top of her boot. She covered the blade with her jeans then shifted her foot carefully, assessing how the knife affected her walk.

She stood up again, the second knife clutched in her left hand. Slowly she unwrapped her fingers from around it and left it lying flat on her palm. The blade was beginning to rust near the hilt and the blade was covered in dust. Without even thinking she wiped the dust off with her shirt then lifted her eyes to watch the bathroom door.

**Preview for Part 23****  
**_**"The earth is shaking underneath my feet; every breath in me is fate."**_

_"You're not going to stab me... Because you don't want to," he whispered, he crouched down until he was on her level. He fixed his eyes on hers, "I'm not the enemy Jude."_

She shook her head, her eyes lifeless, "Yeah, you are." 


	24. Chapter 23: Every breath in me is fate

_We're getting so close! A great deal of your questions will soon be answered so please bear with me a little longer..._

Good news is I have two more chapters complete after this. I think I'm finally coming out of the writers block I've been stuck in.

**Part 23****  
**_**"The earth is shaking underneath my feet; every breath in me is fate."**_

The time had stretched indefinitely as she'd searched the room but now while she waited and obsessed over her decisions, the shower quickly stopped. She gulped as she waited; she could her Tommy shuffling around in the space. Steam was wafting up from the crack under the door, creeping into the room.

As the bathroom door swung open she quickly moved the knife behind her back. She could feel her palm sweating and she momentarily panicked that the knife would slide right out. She tried to act casual, leaning back against the side of the table as Tommy paused in the door of the bathroom. He'd been drying his hair with a towel, his clothes damp in spots and still clinging to his skin which was flushed from the warmth of the shower. 

"What's going on Jude?" he asked slowly. She'd been flattered in the past when he'd read her so easily but now she resented it.

She shrugged, jutting her bottom lip out slightly to emphasize indifference, "You tell me."

He took a few steps into the room, throwing the towel over his shoulder as he glanced about him quietly. "Well you didn't smash a window so I guess that's a success."

"Or a failure."

He walked over to her, one minute he'd been still and watching her, his eyes the only active part of his body and then suddenly he was practically pouncing on her. His speed, his expression, the situation, it all added up and caused her to panic. Just as he reached her she pulled the knife out from behind her back.

She saw his eyes widen, his body stiffen as he extended his arms to his sides, his palms facing forward to her in a surrendering motion.

A few seconds that felt like minutes passed as the two faced each other silently. She held the knife in front of her stomach, the silver surface catching the light and flashing as her hand shook. Tommy took a step toward her and her grip on the knife tightened, "Stay away!" she yelled.

He took another step toward her, enraging her all the more, "Come on, Jude." He tilted his head to the side, his eyes meeting hers, "You're not going to stab me."

"Why the hell not?" Her voice rose suddenly to a height and anger she had never heard from her own mouth. It was the sound of one dancing on the edge of control. 

"Because you don't want to," he whispered, he crouched down until he was on her level. He fixed his eyes on hers, "I'm not the enemy Jude."

She shook her head, her eyes lifeless, "Yeah, you are."

Angered by her statement, by the flash of the knife as it momentarily blinded him, by the crash of thunder outside or the cool breeze that blew in through a crack between the window and wall, by life itself perhaps, he suddenly pounced. He grabbed her wrist, his fingers wrapping around it in a viselike grip as his other hand bruisingly pried her fingers away from the knife.

"You know, Jude," he remarked as he twisted the knife in his hand and watched as the light reflected on the shining surface, "If you're not willing to follow through – a weapon ceases to be protection and instead becomes something…," He'd tossed the knife over his shoulder and it clattered to the floor behind him. As he paused to take a breath he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward until she crashed into his chest, "Dangerous" he finished, breathing the last word into her ear as his hands ran down her back.

She stiffened then gasped as his hands slid under her shirt and ran over the bare skin of her back, dancing along the top of her jeans. Her breath was coming out in terrified quick breaths as she desperately struggled to push him away. He didn't move or release her.

"Do you have anything else on you?" He asked as his hands slid forward over her hips to her waist, sliding around her front then down over to the top of her thighs as he checked the front pockets of her jeans.

Feeling somewhat calmer knowing the motive behind his actions, her body relaxed slightly. She shook her head softly but didn't trust herself to speak.

He leaned back enough so that his face which had been hidden in the crook of her neck was now facing hers. His eyes met hers and she blinked, fearing her own eyes would betray her.

He suddenly dropped into a crouching position at her feet and her heart plummeted with him. He wrapped his hands around her left ankle, sliding up her leg halfway to her knee then repeating the same process with the right. It was mere seconds before he discovered the second knife tucked into the top of her boot.

He straightened and stood before her, tossing that knife carelessly over his shoulder as he had with the previous. Shrugging slightly, he remarked in that same bored tone, "Points for effort, I guess."

His eyes flickered over hers and she felt her heart rate quicken at the momentary glimmer she saw there. There was hope in that glimmer, the smallest, most insignificant glimmer but she held onto it like it was her lifeline. 

"I can't trust a thing you say, can I?" he asked.

She shrugged. Her eyes fixed on his, "Join the club."

He pushed her toward the sofa and went to retrieve and dispose of the knives. She trudged forward as if there were shackles on her ankles, barely noticing when he murmured, "_Tommy_ would be proud."

----

_**"The more I try, the more that I forget…"**_

Jude was in a trancelike state where fact and fiction were mixing together and blurring onto one. Nothing was quite real and nothing really mattered. If she closed her eyes, really tight, so tight it almost hurt, she could almost convince herself she wasn't here. She was at home, curled up under the blankets in her cozy bed, she was on a stage singing her heart out, she was holding her guitar in some secluded room as she composed a song.

It was so real. It was so false.

Chris returned and there was the normal debate about keys and guns and who was in charge and who wasn't. Jude sat quietly throughout until finally Tommy called her over.

She walked over to the two of them as they stood by the partially ajar door. "We're going somewhere?" she asked quietly.

"To the mall," Chris replied for him. "Yay, right?" he asked in a Paris Hilton like voice.

"Yay," Jude muttered in a monotone with a half heartedly raised hand that was meant to resemble some type of cheer. The two men led her out of the building and down the stairs, one in front and one behind. As if she was going to run away here in the middle of nowhere.

----

_**"Take away the pain. I create my paradise…"**_

If she had expected Mall to be some sort of metaphor or acronym, Jude was in for a literal rethink. She peered out the car windows as they approached the shopping mall. It rose out of the small cluster of shops and homes that made up the town, like some ancient Monolith; five stories of shopping heaven with a concrete jungle three story car park alongside.

She was so tired of trying to figure out why Tommy and Chris behaved the way they did but she still couldn't stop herself from wondering why they brought her here, why they continued to endanger themselves and their mission by choosing densely crowded places to take her and do absolutely nothing. Was it the thrill of flirting with danger or some kind of power rush?

They drove to the second floor of the car park before finding a few available spaces. Tommy chose one facing out onto the road below, then paused for what seemed a strange amount of time before nodding at Chris and stepping out of the car. He opened Jude's door and she stepped out, waiting patiently for an instruction. He motioned for her to walk out into the open from between their car and its neighbor then casually wrapped an arm around her waist. It was a method of keeping her close without arousing suspicion but it still made Jude uncomfortable. She could smell his pleasant cologne and feel the warmth radiating from his body and she honestly preferred not to notice either.

It took a moment to acclimatize to the warmth of the mall as the sliding doors whooshed shut behind them, blocking out the arctic winter air. Inside, rushing their way through the Christmas displays and sales signs, where shoppers so pre-occupied with the early bustle of the season and the impending pressure that they didn't pay attention to anything outside of their wallet or shopping list. They didn't notice the dark haired girl with the scarf tucked tightly around her chin nor the doting boyfriend that accompanied or even the skulking friend loitering behind and if they did they were just that; an every day sight.

"So what now?" Chris asked as they walked forward to the oval center of the mall where you could gaze down to the first floor or up the ceiling. Tommy eyed the food court below before answering.

"We eat."

Had she cared, Jude would have remarked that they certainly didn't seem to know what they were doing or care but instead she kept her mouth shut and gazed mournfully at the poster of her sophomore album cover as they passed a nearby music store.

**Preview for Part 24****  
**_**"Don't waste your time, honey; you're already the voice inside my head…"**_

_  
"You've been hardly eating. Don't think I haven't noticed," he leaned in close to her ear to save his voice and be heard over the noise. She shrugged her shoulder up in an attempt to push him away. "You're getting too thin."_

"Your concern is heartwarming," she responded, "Perhaps your boss likes the anorexic look?"

"Perhaps I'm not worried about what my boss does or doesn't want," he suggested with a trace of annoyance in his voice.


	25. Chapter 24: The voice inside my head

_This hasn't been beta'd so apologies for any mistakes. English and I weren't the best of friends in school and I always feel very self conscious about grammatical errors._

**Part 24****  
**_**"Don't waste your time, honey you're already the voice inside my head..."**_

The food court was crowded when Jude and Tommy reached it. Somewhere in the labyrinth of escalators and shops they'd passed through to reach their destination they'd misplaced Chris. Tommy just shrugged it off. Obviously his presence wasn't necessary for their current mission. Or perhaps the lack of it at this time was imperative?

"What do you feel like?" Tommy almost had to yell over the general din of the food court. Being a weekend the room was full of families, skulking teenagers hanging out in packs like wolves and the various shoppers who saved up their spending binges for their day off.

The area was oval shaped with around twenty store facades facing outward. There where a few alcoves with contained shops inside; most where trendy coffee spots or upper class cafes.

Jude shrugged in disinterest but Tommy wasn't having it.

"You've been hardly eating. Don't think I haven't noticed," he leaned in close to her ear to save his voice and be heard over the noise. She shrugged her shoulder up in an attempt to push him away. "You're getting too thin."

"Your concern is heartwarming," she responded, "Perhaps your boss likes the anorexic look?"

"Perhaps I'm not worried about what my boss does or doesn't want," he suggested with a trace of annoyance in his voice.

"Chinese or sushi," she said quickly in response to his original question. A hunger strike wasn't going to solve anything and the delightful aromas of the room were making her mouth water, "Either or. Should I wait here while you get it?" She motioned to an empty nearby table, one of few in the room.

"Nice try," and arm still tucked tightly around her waist, one finger resting comfortably in the belt loop of her jeans even, he led her across the room.

----

_**"I thought I knew you, well who can every say…"**_

"Ha," Jude remarked with a sardonic half giggle as she stabbed into a piece of sweet and sour pork, "this could almost qualify as that date you asked me on before your delightful little vanishing act way back when."

Tommy had somehow managed to negotiate a secluded booth chair in the back of one of the quiet coffee spots. There was virtually no one about and he blocked Jude's escape from their table booth. Short of crawling under the table or climbing over it, there was no way for her to get out.

"Hmmm," Tommy responded as he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a pair of chopsticks, resulting in a slice of broccoli flying off the table and across the floor. He eyed it with contempt for a few seconds before putting down the chopsticks and reaching for a fork.

"Hmmm," Jude echoed bitterly, "What was that about anyway?"

"The leaving or the date?" he responded, barely glancing up from his plate.

"Both."

"I left because I was ordered to. They wanted me to separate myself from you so when you went missing my disappearance wouldn't coincide and I wouldn't be a suspect," he spoke as if reciting a well practiced sentence.

"And the date?"

He shrugged, "seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Another way to screw with my head to ultimately help carry out your evil little plan?" she asked, feeling her temper flare up.

He gazed away from her and out toward the front of the café and the mall beyond. "Can we not talk about this?"

She dropped her chopsticks onto the table top where they clattered angrily before settling on a napkin. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, twisting sideways slightly to gaze at him. "No, I want to."

Snapping out of the haze he'd been in he turned to glance at her. Reaching over he stabbed his fork into a piece of chicken on her plate and lifted it to his mouth. "Let me rephrase: we're _not_ talking about this," he popped the piece of chicken into his mouth and chewed quickly as he smiled condescendingly and turned back to his meal.

----

_**"And the way that you keep screaming, I can hardly hear to think and I feel the bridges are burning underneath my feet..."**_

After the testy silence of their lunch, Jude and Tommy strolled around the mall in their awkward hugging entanglement. Jude fought feelings of claustrophobia and didn't fail to notice the numerous times Tommy glanced at his watch.

Up ahead a crowd was falling and as they walked down the main thoroughfare they were passed by people running ahead to join the throng of people up ahead. Jude squinted to make out a sign up ahead.

Kara Noble  
In store meet and greet  
2pm

She felt a pang of nostalgia. Kara Noble starred on her favorite teen soap. She normally wouldn't miss it for the world and over the last couple of weeks she'd completely forgotten its existence.

She and Tommy got caught up in the crowd and were quickly carried forward into the main throng of people. There was barely standing room and even when she stood on the tips of her toes Jude could barely make out the raised stage some thirty feet ahead of them.

"Hey, aren't you Little Tommy Q?" a female voice asked and Jude glanced to the side to see a woman standing on Tommy's right. She smiled brightly at Tommy's curt headshake, "No! You are. Oh my. Could I get your autograph?"

Rolling her eyes Jude tugged away from Tommy's arm, sick of it's almost dead weight wrapped tightly around her. Distracted by the woman's insistent presence his grip tightened loosely. There was a slight commotion behind them, a small skirmish between two men and the crowd moved slightly, a wave radiating out from the fight. A man who'd turned to watch took two sudden steps backward and crashed into Jude with some force. She felt herself wrenched away from Tommy's arm and pushed forward into the crowd. Her balance thrown off she reached about her to right herself. 

"You alright love?" A kind older man asked as he reached out and pulled her a few more steps forward, helping her gain her balance as she did so.

"I'm fine, thanks," she smiled then glanced about her. Already Tommy was out of sight and she didn't know what to do.

"Jude!" She heard him calling her name and his voice was close. She glanced around her at the nameless faces that surrounded her and was surprised to find her self unsure of what to do. Should she run? Should she call out to him?

Again there was a shock ripple through the crowd and someone lost their balance, knocking into Jude. She'd been so distracted she was knocked to the ground, hitting her elbow painfully against the shiny floor. Sighing angrily she rose to her knees and crawled forward along the floor in an attempt to get away from the skirmish in the crowd. When things seemed calmer she stood to her feet and glanced about her. A brief glimpse of Chris's icy blue eyes in front of her, the black shine of his gun blinding her as he flashed his jacket open briefly and she felt her blood chill as the world around her seemed to melt away.

Chris was reaching for her, a deathly expression in his eyes and Tommy was nowhere in sight. 

**Preview for Part 25****  
**_**"One for the money; two for the show, three to get ready now go, go, go…"**_

_"You really make things so complicated for your self. You do realize that don't you?" He asked. She could hear his footsteps approaching the shelf and she tightened her grip on the still stationary sign as he eyes scanned the wall of the shelf, looking for another crack or peephole. She eventually spotted one right where a shelf was fixed to the back. She pushed aside a few pair of jeans and gazed through the hole as Chris' legs continued to approach. When he was only a few feet away she leapt to her feet, hoisted the sign into the air and swung it at him with all her strength._


	26. Chapter 25: Get ready now go, go, go

_Another unbeta'd chapter. Apologies about that._

**Part 25****  
**_**"One for the money; two for the show, three to get ready now go, go, go…"**_

"There you are, honey. Are you okay?" Chris asked as he approached her. He was playing a part for the crowd about them but no one was noticed or cared. Kara must have been coming to the stage as the room was suddenly filled with loud music, cheering and screaming. Chris was saying something else, Jude could see his lips moving but she couldn't make out a sound. He was only a few feet away and reaching for her. She spun around and ran.

The crowd was so thick and jammed in so tightly together that it was almost impossible to get through. Each time she pushed or pleaded she was rewarded with a dirty looked or muttered utterance she couldn't quite make out.

"Tommy!" She yelled, spinning around as she moved through the crowd, desperately searching for his familiar dark hair, "Tommy!"

She tripped and once again she was on her knees and gazing at the feet of the crowd. Finding it was easier to move and less likely to attract Chris' attention she began to crawl through the crowd.

Suddenly she felt a hand grab her ankle and she was barely able to stifle a scream as her head spun around to see Chris bending over and tugging on her foot. She kicked desperately, putting all her force into a kick aimed squarely at his crotch. He doubled over in pain but she didn't stay to enjoy it. She was instantly crawling again, soon rewarded with the sight of the crowd thinning up ahead.

"Jude!" The music had stopped and in the brief silence before Kara began her speech Jude was able to make out Chris' angry voice above the crowd, "get back here!" 

She rose to her feet as she broke through the crowd. She paused for a second to glance about her wildly, unsure what to do. She didn't dare ask someone for help as Chris was mere seconds away and armed. She knew he wouldn't think twice before killing some unwitting person who tried to help her and she couldn't endanger another person's life. She spotted a clothing store up ahead and began to run.

The floor was so brightly polished she could make out her terrified reflection as she raced across it. Her hair was falling out of it's ponytail and loose wisps were flying about madly, her eyes were wide and her skin was flushed for the exertion. She slipped, skidding across the floor for a second as her arms flew out wildly to catch her balance. A brief glance over her shoulder and she caught a glimpse of Chris breaking out of the crowd like some creature hatching from an egg.

She gasped and continued to run, racing through the wide doorway of the boutique seconds later. The store was empty, not even a store clerk behind the counter or stocking shelves.

She raced behind a series of shelves with folded jeans sitting on them. Ducking down she was able to peer through a small crack in the wood to see Chris calmly walk in the store door. He raised a hand to the back of his head and ran it down his neck as he gazed around slowly.

"Would it be too much of a cliché if I started chanting 'fe fi fo fum' right about now?" he asked with a chuckle as he took a few lazy steps into the room. "Come out, come out wherever you are…"

Jude turned away and looked for a weapon. The closes thing she could find was a nearby sign advertising a price reduction and fixed to a slim metal pole. She silently crawled over it to and wrapped her arms around its thin width, imagining herself drawling power from the cool metal. She held her breath and closed her eyes briefly before peeking around the other side of the shelf.

Chris was a few feet away, running his hands down a black shirt with red flames leaping up its front. He shuffled his feet and nodded his head in time to the music playing over the store radio before turning his head in Jude's direction. Gasping quietly she quickly ducked behind the shelf. 

"You really make things so complicated for your self. You do realize that don't you?" He asked. She could hear his footsteps approaching the bookshelf and she tightened her grip on the still stationary sign as he eyes scanned the wall of the shelf, looking for another crack or peephole. She eventually spotted one right where a shelf was fixed to the back. She pushed aside a few pair of jeans and gazed through the hole as Chris' legs continued to approach. When he was only a few feet away she leapt to her feet, hoisted the sign into the air and swung it at him with all her strength.

There was a loud whipping sound as the metal flew through the air, followed by a sickly thud as it connected with Chris' upper chest. A shockwave ran through the pole and it seemed to leap out of Jude's hands as Chris staged backward, crashing into a rack of T-shirts and knocking them to the floor. Not willing to leave it there Jude reached for another nearby rack and pushed it down on top of him then raced out of the store.

----

_**"At least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head…"**_

Jude was desperately gasping for breath as she ran down the store corridor, past virtually empty shops and further away from the crowd. She kept glancing over her shoulder, desperately searching for Tommy or Chris; neither was in sight. She was looking over her shoulder and failed to spot the park bench in front of her, conveniently placed in the middle of the corridor for tired shoppers. She screamed in fear and then in pain as her shin connected with the wrought iron base and her body went flying over the arm rest and onto the planks of wood that made up the center. Her weight threw the chairs balance off and it crashed backward onto the floor, sending Jude rolling into a nearby store front.

She gasped in pain as she slowly sat up, eyeing the blood seeping through her jeans below her knee. She put one hand to her stomach and winced as she slowly stood to her feet. Her head was throbbing and though she could do it, it ached to put weight on her injured leg.

She swore softly and lifted her gaze to once again gaze behind her. One glimpse of Chris racing toward her and she was spinning around and running once again. She nearly careened into a water fountain as she took a sharp turn into another corridor but managed to make the corner without wiping out. The new corridor was almost the same as the other only more crowded. She saw a sign for restrooms some ten feet away and with Chris still not having rounded the corner she took the option that got her out of his sight the quickest.

The bathroom was empty, just her luck, and a terrible sterile white with blinking fluorescent lights the only source of natural light. No windows, "stupid idea, Jude," she muttered to herself. She heard footsteps approaching and raced into a nearby stall. She closed door behind her then desperately attempted to lock it, her shaking fingers making the mission almost impossible until finally the flimsy lock slid into place.

The door to the bathroom opened with an echoing bang and Jude shrank backwards, her hands running along the stall walls as she struggled to breathe.

The stall door was kicked open; the lock giving way instantly and Chris stood there, a gun hanging from one hand. Leaning in, he grabbed a handful of Jude's dark hair and used it to pull her out of the stall.

"Ow! Stop it!" She screamed, her hands desperately trying to pull his fist away from her hair. 

He shoved her forward and she barely had time to raise her hands to protect herself as she crashed into the mirror. The reflective glass cracked beneath her hands and sliced into the delicate skin.

In the shattered glass, she saw Chris's reflection as he raised the gun and pointed it at her head. She couldn't move or think, her desperate gasps for air the only sound in tiled room as her wild eyes watched Chris.

The bathroom door opened again and Tommy stepped into the room. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the cracked mirror, the blood on Jude's hands and Chris with his gun aimed squarely at Jude's head.

"Chris!" He yelled.

"She's not worth it," Chris declared grimly, not turning to look at Tommy, his eyes glued to Jude's horrified reflection in the mirror. Using this to his advantage, Tommy shot forward, his hands wrapping around Chris' gun hand shoving it up into the air and pointing the nozzle skyward rather then at Jude. Before Chris could really react Tommy had raised one knee to kick him in the stomach while his fingers quickly pried Chris' fingers from around the gun.

Chris was double over slightly, one hand to his stomach, the other resting on the bathroom counter as he glared up at Tommy. Jude slowly moved away from the bathroom mirror, wincing as fragments of glass clung to her palms. She moved away from Chris, backing behind Tommy as he and Chris faced off. 

"You're off the job," Tommy informed him icily.

"You are _not_ screwing me over!" Chris yelled.

"You'll get your money," Tommy sneered, "but I'm completing the job alone. You're volatile and unpredictable. You've not only endangered her life but ours!"

"I'm volatile?" Chris laughed, "You're the one with your head screwed up over the damn girl! I thought you were a professional!"

"Stay the hell away from me and stay away from Jude," Tommy murmured angrily as he backed over to Jude, the gun fixed on Chris. He reached behind him blindly for her and she reached forward, touching one finger to his wrist to show him she was there. He instantly wrapped his hand tightly around her wrist and pulled her back with him toward the bathroom door. 

Her last glimpse of Chris was angry eyes, a pain filled face and the echoing threat, "this isn't over!" before the bathroom door swung shut behind her and Tommy and her view of him was blocked. 

She couldn't shake the feeling though, this wasn't the last time she'd be seeing him.

**Preview for Part 26****  
**_**"What if I say you're not like the others? What if I say you're not just another one? You're face, you're the pretender. What if I say I will never surrender?"**_

_She sat forward a few moments later when a side road appeared in the distance. "Ooh! We could go to the lake!" she clapped her hands together and rolled her eyes without looking at him._

"Drowning you is actually sounding quite good right now."


	27. Chapter 26: I will never surrender

_New chap. Please comment. This one is beta'd. Thanks Nichole!_

**Part 26****  
**_**"What if I say you're not like the others? What if I say you're not just another one? Your face, you're the pretender. What if I say I will never surrender?"**_

"Are you okay?" Tommy called over his shoulder as he dragged her through the mall. He'd made sure to hold onto her by her wrist rather then her hand which was actually bleeding quite readily for such fine cuts. Had she had time to really register the small kindness she might have even been grateful.

"Yeah," she was dazed, glancing about her but not really seeing anything and barely moving her feet, instead sliding and shuffling across the floor, Tommy providing all the momentum. They were taking a different route back to the car, a combination of cutting through shops and sneaking through 'Staff Only' hallways and back rooms. It was possible that Chris was now headed to the exact same destination as they and a run in was not an option. In no time at all they reached the car park.

Tommy scanned around the area until spotting the floor number then swore in frustration. They'd gone down a level to the food court and in addition to that they'd come out into the car park at the opposite end from their car. "Damn it. Come on!" He dragged her toward a metal stairwell sitting in the center of the area.

"You think he's going to follow us?" Jude asked in consternation, finally coming back to reality as she glanced behind her.

"I'm certain of it."

The metal stairs clanged beneath their feet as they climbed and the sound echoed throughout the deserted park. Jude lost her balance and began to fall toward the harsh surface of the stairs and it was only Tommy's restraining grip on her wrist that stopped a painful collision. He paused momentarily to haul her up and allow her time to get her footing again before continuing up the stairs. 

Jude felt like a sprinter on the homeward stretch as they came out on the right floor and she caught sight of the new car parked on the opposite side of the landing. She was panting, her chest, her hands, her head all aching as Tommy continued to pull her toward their destination.

Finally they reached the car and Tommy relinquished his grip on Jude's wrist as he raced around the driver's side of the car and unlocked. Jude almost didn't notice the fact that she was physically free in a public place. The sound of the central locking releasing saw her moving to the passenger door without even thinking. The next second she'd opened the door and gotten inside.

Tommy started the car without saying a word. He glanced over at Jude briefly, his expression softening sympathetically. She hadn't noticed his eyes on her and was examining the palms of her hands, cringing as she picked out a fine shard of glass from the torn skin then lowered her hands – palms up – to rest on her lap.

Tommy threw the car into reverse, quickly backing and driving out of the car park, the tires squealing as the car skidded slightly on a corner then successfully raced out onto the street.

----

_**"And we can build through this destruction as we are standing on our feet…"**_

The car was silent during the long ride back to the apartment. The only sound was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional hissing sound as they sped through a puddle and water was hurled up under the car. Yet again it seemed as if there wasn't another person on the planet; the ride was completely empty.

Jude turned her back on Tommy, opting to stare out the side window, her forehead almost touching the glass in an attempt to put as much distance between them as possible.

She tried to ignore her feelings but that had never been one of her strong points. They whirled around inside her, filling her lungs until she felt there wasn't any room left for air. She was mad at Tommy, more so then usual anyway, for losing her at the mall and allowing her to fall prey to Chris. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if it had been intentional – if the whole thing was a game they were playing with her or if it wasn't – did Tommy even give a damn what happened to her?

"Are your hands okay?" he asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Fine," she muttered, "As if you care." She'd said it softly, not quite having the courage to back it with conviction but he caught the comment all the same.

"Right, because my dream in life is to see you cut and bruised like some extra in 300," he remarked in sarcastic annoyance.

"Yet here we are… kidnapping, imprisonment…" she glanced over at him and was taken aback by the change in his appearance since the last time she'd really looked at him. His skin color was off, pale to an almost ashen gray and there were small drops of perspiration dotting his forehead.

"You okay, Quincy?"

He grimaced, "I'm with you. What else could I be but completely overjoyed?" his voice was still dripping with that same sarcasm.

She ignored the remark and reached over to feel his forehead. He pulled away at the last second, doing so suddenly and accidentally jerking the steering wheel as he did so. The car swerved to the side, two wheels going off the road and through the gravel that lined it before he righted the wheel once again.

"Fine! Okay. Stay on the road would ya?" she threw her hands into the air in frustration as she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as the foliage and fields outside the window grew familiar.

She sat forward a few moments later when a side road appeared in the distance. "Ooh! We could go to the lake!" she clapped her hands together and rolled her eyes without looking at him.

"Drowning you is actually sounding quite good right now."

The ramshackle building that had been 'home' for the last two weeks eventually came into view and Tommy slowed the car as they approached. He stayed on the road until they'd passed the building and he craned his neck to see around it and check the whole driveway for cars before pulling in. He motioned for Jude to stay in the car as he stepped out then locked it. He pulled his gun from inside his jacket then flipped off the safety and held it in front of him as he slowly started up the stairs.

Jude felt the leaden weight of dread as she realized the severity of the situation. She shifted in her seat to look behind her at the stretch of road they'd just left. The icy feeling that she was being watched washed over.

Tommy had reached the top of the stairs and he glanced back at her briefly before unlocking the door. He turned the door handle then kicked the door fully open, swinging the gun wildly from left to right as he scanned the room. As he disappeared inside Jude tried unlocking her car door from the inside but to no avail. Typically Tommy would leave her in a vulnerable situation; should he not come back from his checking of the house.

A few moments later he returned and let her out of the car. With a hand on her upper arm he led her up the stairs.

"He doesn't have a car right?" she asked as the stairs creaked beneath her and the wind howled in the trees. A name was not a necessity.

"No, but he could get one."

"So it's not safe here anymore?" she raised her eyebrows questioningly, inside wondering why they'd even come back.

"We're just getting our things then moving on."

"Where?" she paused as they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, causing him to stop and look back at her with his wide-eyed questioning gaze.

"I'm still figuring that out."

"Well that fills me with such a sense of security," she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the railing. It wobbled precariously, a screw securing it to the landing quickly coming loose. Tommy's eyes widened and he jumped forward to catch her arm as she lost her balance and nearly fell backward. Without her weight the railing didn't come loose but she couldn't help but glance behind her at the long drop to the ground. Inwardly she shuddered as she shrugged Tommy's hand away.

"You know, you could just drop me off in Toronto," she began as she followed him into the building, "then disappear back to wherever you went. That would be – was that there when we left?" she pointed to a denim jacket on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. 

Tommy silently locked the door behind them. "Come on," he led her to the bedroom they'd been sharing and sat her down on the bed as he began searching through drawers. He retrieved a bundle of papers and the notebook he'd been writing on previous occasions and tucked them into an internal pocket of his jacket. Inside the cupboard was the sack of clothing which he picked up and threw over by the door. Kneeling down he reached under the bed and retrieved a small cardboard box.

"Here," he handed it to Jude then continued to search the room for anything he might have forgotten.

"What's this?" she asked, running her hand over the top of the box and slowly unhooking the flap that kept the lid down.

"I was going to give it to you today but then with the whole intent to stab thing I had held off," he'd paused his frantic searching and when she looked up and met his eyes she found them a little softer then usual.

She opened the box to find a small portable CD player, some batteries and a couple of her favorite CDs. Had the situation been different she would have been flattered he remembered, though half the bands present were ones he'd introduced her to.

She was tempted to thank him but bitterness pushed the intent away. Instead she gazed silently at a brightly colored CD jacket as tears began to form in her eyes.

"It's just something to pass the time and another excuse for you to not listen to me," he remarked wryly before cutting the brief moment short by motioning for her to come with him as he walked into the next room.

There was a squeal of car tires in the loose gravel outside and he froze, motioning for Jude to stay where she was as he quickly crossed the room and peered out the window. Already she could make out the heavy thud of footsteps on the stairs outside.

"It's him. Go back," he ran over and nearly picked up her up off the floor as he pushed her back into the bedroom. 

**Preview for Part 27****  
**_**"Sometimes the only way is jumping. I hope you're not afraid of heights…"**_

_"Give me that," she grabbed the crowbar from his unsuspecting hands then swung it over her shoulder. He actually raised his hands to protect himself as though she were swinging at him. Under other circumstances she would have laughed but she simply set her jaw grimly and swung the steel bar at the latch. It squeaked and gave way slightly but not enough so she hit it with the crowbar a second time, then a third, letting out a frustrated squeal as the metal slowly continued to move._


	28. Chapter 27: Afraid of heights

_Another new chapter for you guys. I'm quite a few chapters ahead at the moment and where I'm up to is really close to our revelation and the end of Part 1. I'm probably being too wordy because there's so many chapters but not that much actually happening..._

This one hasn't been beta'd so apologies for any errors. I tend to get lost in the story and my brain writes on auto pilot, often making ridiculous mistakes like using ear instead of air...

This chapter is dedicated to _**InstantStarFan**_ who left a wonderful long comment for me on the last chapter. 

**Part 27****  
**_**"Sometimes the only way is jumping. I hope you're not afraid of heights…"**_

Tommy closed the bedroom door and locked it it while Jude raced over to the chest of drawers and began to push it toward the door.

"Help me!" she called as she strained against the heavy oak.

With his help the drawers moved into place though Jude noticed he seemed slightly dizzy from the exertion.

"We're trapped," she breathed as she scanned the room. She paused on the windows behind the bed and quickly jumped up on it to futilely tug at the planks of wood.

"There's a fire escape on the other side of that window," Tommy said and she turned to see him opening the cupboard door and retrieving a crowbar. He hopped up onto the bed next to her and slotted the hooked end between the planks of wood. With a decisive tug the wood came loose, raining Bora dust on the bed as the rusted nails creaked in protest with their release.

They could hear Chris kicking at the front door and on the third kick there was a load snapping noise as the lock gave way and the door swung open, crashing into the wall loudly.

"Hurry!" Jude whispered urgently to Tommy as he removed a second then third board. Rays of light were now shining into the darkened room and she could make out the thick forest behind the building through the marred old glass. Tommy removed a fourth plank and she was almost able to reach the latch that held the old sliding window closed.

"Hey Quincy," Chris' voice was on the side of the door, taunting and confident, "ever heard the phrase 'Nowhere to run'?"

There was the loud bang of a gun firing into the ceiling and Jude nearly lost her balance on the creaking spring mattress as her ears rang. Tommy swore loudly as he desperately pried off another board.

"Where'd he get another gun?" He muttered to himself.

They were now able to reach the latch and Tommy tried to slide it out. It was old and rusted and stuck in place as if it had been super glued. He swore again and Jude watched in wide eyed panic as she realized how scared he was.

"Give me that," she grabbed the crowbar from his unsuspecting hands then swung it over her shoulder. He actually raised his hands to protect himself as though she were swinging at him. Under other circumstances she would have laughed but she simply set her jaw grimly and swung the steel bar at the latch. It squeaked and gave way slightly but not enough so she hit it with the crowbar a second time, then a third, letting out a frustrated squeal as the metal slowly continued to move.

"Hey Jude?" Chris called, "don't make it bad. Just take a sad song and make it _better_!" he punctuated the last word by kicking at the door angrily causing the sound of cracking wood to fill the air.

Jude rolled her eyes, "That's the best you've got?" she called, "I've heard four year olds come up with better."

Tommy was watching in barely masked admiration as she hurled the crowbar one last time and the latch finally came loose. He gently pushed her aside as he pulled up the window. It slid slowly, the wood having swollen from the moisture in the winter air. He threw the sack of clothing through out onto the ground below then helped Jude balance as she climbed through and found her footing on the rusted old fire escape. He followed quickly then leaned over the side to examine the route down.

The ground beneath was surfaced with unwelcome looking concrete and the fire escape ladder stopped five feet from the ground. Chris was making quick work on the door. The sound of wood splintering was constant and as Jude peered in through the window she heard a loud cracking sound as he was able to pry a plank loose, exposing a hole through to the back of the chest of drawers. He was obviously oblivious to their escape in progress. Had he simply gone around the side of the building at this point he would have had them.

Jude turned around to see Tommy climbing down the ladder. When he reached the bottom he dangled from it for a moment before hopping to the ground below, bending his knees as his feet impacted the ground.

"There. Easy," he reassured her as he looked back and motioned for Jude to climb down.

"Fantastic!" she hissed, "Did you see that Final Destination movie with the rollercoaster? I don't do well with heights!"

Despite her complaints she was slowly lowering herself over the side, her knuckles turning white as the gripped the steel tightly. She reached the end of the ladder and held on tightly.

"Take your feet off the ladder and lower yourself down a little more," Tommy instructed in a no nonsense voice as he moved to stand beneath her. 

"Right," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before doing as instructed. He reached up and with his hands on her waist was able to lower her the rest of the way to the ground. There was a screeching sound above them as the chest of drawers was pushed away from the door and without a word they both started running toward the car, Tommy retrieving the sack as he passed it.

They skidded around the corner of the building, Jude loosing her footing for a moment in the loose shingle and sliding wildly before racing to catch up with Tommy. She leapt into the passenger seat as he gunned the engine. She caught a brief glimpse of Chris rounding the corner of the building as Tommy reversed the car out of the driveway and turned onto the road. She heard a loud popping sound and it was only when Tommy reached over to push her head down that she realized they were gunshots being fired after the car as it quickly drove out of range.

----

_**"I'm blind with eyes wide open, my body's tired and broken…"**_

Jude blinked her eyes blearily as she stretched in the car seat. She was curled up on her side facing Tommy. Yawning she shifted to sit up in the seat, glancing about her in confusion.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Unless you drool and mumble about how gorgeous Chris Evans is when you're awake…"

She was now sitting up fully and she smiled as she ran a hand through her hair, "The last one when I'm awake; sure but I never drool," she glared at him, begging him to argue. "So have you decided where we're going yet or are we just going to drive off into the sunset?" she glanced out the window, realizing it was now dark though a full moon lit the sky dramatically, "er moonset…"

"I know of a place nearby where we could crash for a few days."

"Does Chris know of it?" she asked nervously.

"Nope. We'll be safe," he glanced at her, his expression reassuring and apologetic at the same time. He still looked ill, his skin a strange color and his eyes red rimmed.

They drove in silence for a few fore minutes until they pulled up in front of an old overgrown driveway. Tommy got out of the car, the headlights illuminating him as he ran around the front and unlatched the old wrought iron gate and swung it open. He quickly returned to the car and Jude peered up through the windscreen at the large willow trees that lined both sides of the driveway and sheltered the car protectively.

The driveway eventually opened up into an old carriageway in front of an old mansion. It had obviously once been grand and still looked sturdy enough considering it was made of brick but the windows were rotten and the paint peeling. Weeds sprouted up through the gravel driveway, the lawns resembled hay paddocks and the gardens were non existent, now drowning in weeds. It was obvious no one had lived there in a long time.

"What is this place?" Jude asked as Tommy retrieved the sack of cloths and locked the car and they walked together to the front door.

He shrugged, "I knew someone who lived her once."

He checked the front door, turning the doorknob then giving it a strong shove with his shoulder. It gave way, creaking loudly as it swung open into a dark hallway. Jude shuddered; unconsciously taking a step closer to Tommy as every ghost story she'd ever heard came flooding back to her.

Tommy reached into the sack, rifling around for a few moments before holding up a flashlight with a confident smirk.

Jude raised her eyebrows sarcastically, "Bravo?" she whispered.

The torch illuminated a grand hallway with a few doorways branching off and a large banister staircase running up the side. Tommy confidently took a left and she followed him, not wishing to loose the torchlight in this creepy environment. They'd entered what had obviously been the living room. Some antique armchairs sat by a grand open fireplace on the opposite wall and large bay windows looked out onto the driveway. The room was mostly empty except for an old bookcase with a few dusty books, some old newspapers in a corner, a round table covered with a sheet and child's rocking horse. Jude shuddered as she spotted the latter, it's presence both amusing and creepy at the same time.

Tommy was standing in the center of the room, grimly surveying it. As she watched he lifted his head and gazed up at a stunning crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room. He tossed the sack down in the middle of the room then lowered himself into one of the arm chairs. Jude noticed he exhaled sharply as if in pain, his eyes closing as he leaned back. She stood by the door uncomfortably, feeling ill at ease and strangely free. There was no hand wrapped tightly around her wrist, no handcuffs and for that second at least no watching eyes.

Tommy had dropped the flashlight on the floor and it shone on the bookshelf. Jude strolled over, perusing the titles in the dim light. There was a copy of Robinson Cruso, a dictionary and a few other titles she didn't recognize. She glanced down at the newspaper then over at the fireplace.

"Do you have a lighter?" she asked Tommy. 

There was a slight pause before he answered, almost as if he'd fallen asleep. "Yeah," he answered in a slightly hoarse voice. He reached into a pocket then tossed her a silver lighter. 

She glanced at it, turning it over in her hand and noticing an inscription she couldn't quite make out. "Classy," she muttered.

She scooped up the newspapers and brought them over to the fireplace. Tommy glanced at her with little interest before closing his eyes again. She felt something; perhaps not concern but trepidation mixed with curiosity at his weakened state. Silently she screwed up the newspapers and tossed them into the fire before walking back to the bookshelf and selecting a few of the books.

She felt a nervous feeling in her stomach as if her old school librarian were going to materialize through the walls and scold her for burning books. She certainly didn't like the idea but it was too cold not to.

She piled the books on top of the newspaper and with shaking hands she lit the paper. The fire quickly roared into life, the flames lapping at the books as the paper burned away. The room suddenly seemed warmer with the orange hues of the fire cast against all four walls. She put her hands on her hips and gazed into the leaping flames, their images reflected in her eyes as she smiled softly.

She glanced over at Tommy to see his eyes still closed and his chest rising slowly as he breathed deeply. She took a few steps until she was standing by the chair. She leaned forward and eyed him; he really appeared to be asleep. He was perspiring again, despite the fact that the room was like ice and the fire hadn't yet begun to warm it. She reached forward and lightly skimmed her fingers over his forehead; it was burning hot and moist.

Chewing on her bottom lip she leaned back. In the fire a book that had been balanced on top of another title came loose and fell onto the grate that lined the base of the fire. Tommy didn't even flinch at the sound and it was then that the seed of possibility and the hope of escape began to bloom. 

**Preview for Part 28****  
**_**"Tonight I'm so alone this sorrow takes ahold, don't leave me here so cold. Never want to be so cold…"**_

_She stood up straight, happily moving back from Tommy's chair as she eyed the keys proudly. There was a flash of lightning that lit up the entire room and she gazed at Tommy silently for one last second, noticing the way the flames reflected on his handsome features. There was a dull ache in her stomach that she presumed to be nervousness before turning and walking out of the room. _


	29. Chapter 28: Tonight I'm so alone

_Another unbeta'd one.  
_

**Part 28****  
**_**"Tonight I'm so alone this sorrow takes ahold, don't leave me here so cold. Never want to be so cold…"**_

It had begun to rain steadily when Jude lit the fire but over the next half hour or so the wind picked up, howling like a wounded wolf as it lashed the raindrops against the house angrily.

She shuddered, wrapping the comforter she'd retrieved from the sack around her shoulders a little tighter as she huddled in front of the fire.

Tommy was asleep on the armchair, his head leaning back uncomfortably against the back of the chair, one arm hanging loosely over the side and the other resting on the armrest. The keys were in the left pocket of his jacket, she'd seen him place them there. Unfortunately it was his left arm that was resting on the armrest and blocking her access to the keys.

She chewed on bottom lip as she mulled over the current situation. There was no way she was leaving on foot, in this weather that was just an invitation to contract pneumonia then there was the fact that she had no idea where she was; most likely Tommy would wake up, get in the car and find her unconscious on the side of the road less then a mile away.

She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them as she tossed another book into the fire. She had to get the keys; it was as simple as that. Tommy did seem pretty out of it. He hadn't stirred since he passed out more then half an hour ago. His skin was red and covered in a sheen of sweat. She almost felt sorry for him…

"There are three people in this life, right?" she whispered to herself so quietly it was inaudible, "Victims, suckers and adults. I'm no sucker and I'm not going to be someone's victim."

She tossed aside the blanket, barely allowing herself to shiver as the cold air hit her. In one swift motion she stood to her feet and tiptoed over to Tommy. She paused in front of him, leaning forward slightly to brace her hands on the very ends of the armrests on either side of the chair. Should he wake up she needed an excuse for her proximity but the only one that was coming to mind she refused to let register.

Slowly she reached forward and ran her hand under his left arm. Ever so slowly she inched it further to the left until it was no longer on the arm rest, then even slower she lowered it until it was hanging limply at his side. She paused, waiting for some kind of reaction but he didn't move. She would have sighed in relief but stopped herself for fear of even the slightest sound awakening the sleeping threat before her.

She reached into the pocket of his leather jacket, finding it deeper then she expected and rolling her eyes in frustration. Eventually her searching fingers felt the cool metal of the keys and she quickly wrapped her hand around them. Inch by painful inch she slid the keys out of the pocket, making sure they were all pinched together tightly in her fist and unable to clang together noisily.

She stood up straight, happily moving back from Tommy's chair as she eyed the keys proudly. There was a flash of lightning that lit up the entire room and she gazed at Tommy silently for one last second, noticing the way the flames reflected on his handsome features. There was a dull ache in her stomach that she presumed to be nervousness before turning and walking out of the room.

----

_**"Cause you, you're on the other side and I'm here now, here alone tonight."**_

The wind was a lot stronger then she'd expected and Jude was nearly blown off her feet as she raced across the driveway to the waiting car. She shielded her eyes with her hand as the rain pelted against her mercilessly, feeling like small pinpricks against her exposed skin.

She wasn't able to make sense of the images of Tommy that were flashing through her mind. First his face as he shoved her into the lake, the pained expression he wore as he tried to nurse her back to health afterwards, his expression when he stormed into the bathroom earlier that morning and saved her from Chris. And then her memories went back further. She remembered the first time she met him, the first time they truly meshed when recording a song, his grinning face in the audience as she played on stage for the first time, the shared elation when her first album was completed… that kiss on her sixteenth birthday.

And now for all she knew he was inside dying. She didn't even know if he had his cell phone on him and what if there was no reception out here. She didn't exactly know where 'out here' was, they could be on the outskirts of a town in which case he would be fine or they could be in the middle of nowhere. If she took the car, leaving him alone and his condition continued to worsen…

She paused, the rain seeping through her clothes unnoticed. "Damn it," she swore. She stared dejectedly at the car in front of her and the driveway disappearing off into the distance and freedom. Slowly began to turn back to the house.

"What do you think you're doing Jude?" Tommy was standing in the doorway, as he spoke he flicked on his flashlight and shone it directly at her; temporarily blinding her.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she retorted, holding her hands up questioningly, the keys dangling from her fingers tauntingly.

His eyes widened as he quickly patted his pocket and realized they were no longer present. He lifted his head to look at her. Slowly he tilted his head to the side, eyeing her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Yeah," she forced a bitter smile, "Why?"

"You'll regret it," with much difficulty he took a few steps closer to her, not enough to threaten her escape but enough for her to hear his words easily over the storm and to make out his face. "What would you say if I told you I have 'friends' in location back in Toronto; at G-Major, on your street… at Sadie's school. They know to act if I'm out of touch with them for more then 24 hours. Things could go badly for your sister, Jude. What would you say to that?"

She froze in place, the rain seeping through her clothes and running down her face unnoticed. She met his steely gaze, desperately trying to read something in it that told her it was all a sick joke. Finally she nodded slightly, "I'd say I'd stay."

"No running?"

She shook her head, "None."

"Good call," he held his hands out for the keys and grudgingly she handed them to him.

She took a few steps closer to him, pausing directly in front of him but looking beyond him rather then at his face. Leaning forward conspiratively she said softly, "for whatever it's worth… I was coming back. I guess 'Stupid Girl' really was a good song choice for me huh?" 

She brushed past him, not caring that it nearly knocked him off balance and that he could barely walk back into the building behind her. She also didn't notice the look of regret that flashed across his face briefly before being replaced with an emotionless gaze.

**Preview for Part 29****  
**_**"I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wondering what I've got to do or who I'm supposed to be…"**_

_"Are you hot?" She asked._

He smiled softly and she knew what he was thinking, the teasing and confident remark he obviously wanted to give but didn't have the energy to say. She felt his forehead and this time he didn't shy away. His skin temperature was even higher then before and she felt the first real chill of worry creeping into her veins.

"Tommy," she said softly, "You're really sick."


	30. Chapter 29: lookin' round rooms

_I hope you're enjoying the regular updates but be warned: I had gotten far ahead in the story but haven't managed to write much this last week so I've only got another chapter complete after this one. Plus really need to write something for Tentative Acceptance so the updates might not be as regular...  
_

**Part 29****  
**_**"I'm tired of looking 'round rooms wondering what I've got to do or who I'm supposed to be…"**_

Jude stood in front of the fireplace, arms crossed over her chest as Tommy staggered into the room. She glanced over her shoulder at him as he leaned against the door frame in an attempt to stay standing. He moved until he was standing just inside the door with his back to the wall. Slowly he slid down until he was sitting with his back to the wall and his eyes closed.

"So am I supposed to play Florence Nightingale now or something?" She snapped.

The sarcastic or angry retort she'd been expecting never came, causing her to reassess the situation and slowly walk over to him. She crouched down in front of him, eyeing him like an insect under a microscope. His shirt collar was drenched with sweat, his hair damp and matted down on his forehead and his skin still a flushed red. 

She reached for the flashlight, easily pulling it from his fingers as his eyes groggily opened. "Where are you going?" He asked as she moved to the door.

"I'm not leaving," she remarked with a sigh, "I'm just seeing what's here."

She flicked on the flashlight as she walked into the hallway. There was a doorway directly opposite her and she went to that first. The doorknob squeaked loudly as she turned it followed by a shower of dust raining down on her as the door opened. She covered her mouth with her hands at the damp, musky odor in the room. A quick arc with the flashlight revealed a broken window that had allowed rain in. The floor beneath it was rotting from the years of water. The room was completely empty except for a few wooden chairs that could serve as firewood if nothing else. She stepped back out of the room and closed the door behind her.

The staircase was on her right but she ignored that for the time being as she continued down the hallway. Situated beneath the staircase was a door that led to a basement staircase but as she shone the flashlight down the old concrete staircase she wasn't able to summon up the courage to venture down for fear of Hannibal Lector or some other creepy thing waiting for her at the bottom. She closed the door again then with a little shudder pushed the latch into place to lock it.

On her left was a small bathroom with a big claw toed bathtub, porcelain wash basin and toilet. She stepped into the room and tried one of the faucets on the bathtub. There was a groaning sound from the old pipes but no water flowed.

The end of the hallway opened into a grand old kitchen that was big enough to make a meal for an army. A table sat in a corner beneath some stain glassed windows, next to that was a back door that opened out into the dark night. She checked through the cupboards over and under the counter and then the pantry. Her search revealed nothing but a large plastic bowl a few paper plates and a butter knife.

She held up the knife, memories of her last experience with one floating through her mind and causing her eyebrows to knot together in frustration. She dropped the knife and plates in the bowl and put them under one arm as she returned to the lounge.

Tommy had lain down on the floor by the door and as she walked over to him his eyes opened slowly.

"That looks comfortable," she remarked as she set the bowl down by the bookshelf.

"Did you find anything?" He whispered, his voice not sounding capable of speaking any louder.

She shrugged, "Not really. I haven't been upstairs yet."

His eyes closed, as if in pain and she glanced over at the sack of clothes. "You want a pillow or something?"

He didn't answer but she fished out a thick sweater and folded it into a square and took it over to him anyway. His eyes opened and stared up at her questioningly as she motioned for him to lift his head then slid the makeshift pillow beneath them.

"Are you hot?" She asked.

He smiled softly and she knew what he was thinking, the teasing and confident remark he obviously wanted to give but didn't have the energy to say. She felt his forehead and this time he didn't shy away. His skin temperature was even higher then before and she felt the first real chill of worry creeping into her veins. 

"Tommy," she said softly, "You're really sick."

"It'll be okay," he said so softly she almost didn't hear, "We'll be fine."

She glanced at her watch as she walked back to the fire. The display read 8pm but it felt like midnight. She threw a few more books onto the blaze then sat down in front of it. Before she knew it her eyes began to droop sleepily. At some point she decided lying down would be more comfortable and moments after that she was asleep.

Meanwhile the storm waged wildly outside. The wind howled, thunder roared and the rain drummed against the earth loudly. The sounds drowned out any other noise; the sounds of animals hiding in their nests and burrows, the trees swaying in the breeze and the sound of a car engine on the nearby road as it slowed and stopped. It's headlights shone brightly into the darkened night and then following a sudden flash of lightning that drowned their light in it's blinding brilliance - they disappeared. The world returned to the inky blanketing, hiding power of night.

----

_**"Your touch used to be so kind, your touch used to give me life. I've waited all this time, I've wasted so much time…"**_

Jude awoke to the sound of a branch snapping loose and hitting the roof. She shot up into a sitting position in one fluid movement, her head whipping around as her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness and her mind to the new environment. The fire had died out and everything around her was black. Eventually she was able to make out the window; outside was slightly lighter but only barely as the moon was hidden by clouds.

"Tommy?" She whispered as she shifted to her knees and began to crawl in the direction she believed led to him. "Tommy?" Her only response was silence but when she strained she was able to make out the sound of labored breathing.

"Damnit, where's that flashlight?" she muttered to herself. Her fingers searched the floorboards around her, desperately feeling for the plastic cylinder. Eventually they brushed against something cool and she heard it rolling away in the night. "What I wouldn't do for a clap lamp right now," she muttered as she crawled after it.

Locating the torch was an easy enough feat but lighting the fire turned out to be a bigger challenge. The wind howling down the chimney continued to kill the flame of the lighter and with few books remaining she had limited paper. Add to that the fact that the dimming light of the torch revealed that the batteries were running out in the and she soon realized she was in a right pickle. 

"Tommy!" she hissed, hurling a wadded up piece of paper in his direction, "Would you get over it and help me already?"

The earth seemed to shake as an extra loud clap of thunder reverberated around her. She squealed in terror, dropping the torch in her fright and putting her hands to her head in frustration. The torch rolled across the floor, it's spotlighting beam moving across the opposite wall before it came to rest in a sunken floorboard. The new development proved helpful as the light shone directly on the fireplace and Jude was able to work with both hands. She reached for the last remaining book and realized it was the old Bible. She paused; her fingers running across the leather bound service as old Sunday School memories flittered through her mind. She caressed the embossed name and then with a slight shake of her head set it aside. 

She uttered a quick prayer as she held the silver lighter to the paper one last time. It took quickly, the flame licking and covering the paper and quickly devouring it. She scrambled about her, searching for something else to burn and added the paper plates from the kitchen to the hungry fire.

Remembering the wooden chairs in the next room she reached for the fire and gulped down her fears as she set out into the dark hallway.

She'd loved the dark as a child. She and Sadie had had numerous games they would play in the dark and during storms they'd huddle up together in Sadie's bead and tell each other ghost stories. It had been a delicious type of terror for Jude who'd always felt safe in her families home with her big sister behind her. There'd always been something magical about the darkness, something mysterious and bold that she could never quite pin down. But then the dark was always more appealing when there was a working slight switch a few feet away, a loving family in the neighboring rooms and a murderous enemy out there somewhere searching for you.

She bolted into the opposite room and grabbed two of the chairs, running her arms through and under the backs so she was still able to hold the torch in one hand and open the door with the other. She ignored the creaking floorboards above her head; reminding herself that old houses settled, there were no such thing as ghosts and Chris had no idea where she was.

"Jude?" Tommy whispered as she walked back into the room. She glanced down to see him slowly rolling onto his back as he gazed up at her through barely open eyes.

"Hey," she whispered. Despite herself she felt a reassuring smile creeping onto her lips as she set down the chairs and walked over to him. "Are you feeling any better?"

He gazed at the roof above him, frowning, "Where are we?" He whispered.

"Some old mansion," she explained, "you don't remember?"

He closed his eyes briefly then glanced over at the fire, "It's just a little foggy."

She reached over and felt his forehead again, not noticing his eyes flutter closed at her touch or his shaky exhale of breath. His temperature hadn't changed and she remembered reading somewhere about the importance of bringing down extremely high temperatures, or was it that you were supposed to keep the person warm? If only she'd paid more attention in health class…

The light in the room was beginning to dim and she quickly rose to her feet and reached for one of the chairs. It was old and flimsy and with some prying and pulling she was able to get it loose. She may of thrown it against the wall a couple of times too but that wasn't so much necessary as satisfying. The frustrated scream, occasional swear words and muttering were all part of the therapy too…

**Preview for Part 30****  
**_**"and there is no resolution, when the revolutions dead and I'm left with no solution – for the voices in my head."**_

"I'm sorry," he whispered, repeating the words over and over. It grew softer each time until he fell into a brief silence. It was brief lived however; he began to mumble incoherently again a short while later. There was a loud clap of thunder overhead and coupling that with seeing Tommy so vulnerable and un-composed… the opposite of his normal self was beginning to scare Jude out of her wits.


	31. Chapter 30: Voices in my head

_Another unbeta'd chapter. There's (I think) two chapters to go until the revelation and end of the first part of this story._

**Part 30****  
**_**"and there is no resolution, when the revolutions dead and I'm left with no solution – for the voices in my head."**_

Though filling the bathtub with ice cubes and dumping Tommy in seemed to be the most effective method of bringing down his temperature (not to mention the ironic thrill of justice she would get from it) the fact remained that it was simply unfeasible.

She carried the plastic bowl she'd found in the kitchen out front, letting it tap against her knee with each step as it dangled from her hand. She set it down between the car and the house, placing a heavy rock inside to stop it blowing away before the water weighed it down. By the time she'd made it back to the sheltered verandah the bowl was a few centimeters fill from the torrential downpour and she was shivering in her damp clothes in the cold night air.

She paused under the awning, a waterfall of water pouring over the side and into the overgrown old garden that lined the house. Her eyes scanned the trees that fenced the property in, aware the road was on the other side and seeking movement of the automotive kind. The swaying of the trees and the falling sheets of rain was the only movement in a motionless world.

A couple of minutes later she was able to retrieve the bowl and she struggled to carry it in without spilling it's contents on herself.

"Jude?" Tommy mumbled, attempting to sit up but falling back on the hard floor dizzily as she entered the room.

"I'm here," she said, setting the bowl down next to him. She was about to move away when his hand shot out and caught her wrist, the grip more of a desperate clinging then a sinister imprisonment. "I thought you'd left," he murmured, his eyes flitting around the room nervously.

"I can't. Remember?" she pulled her wrist away sharply, feeling a rush of annoyance at the memory or his recent threats. She searched through the sack of clothes, picking out a T-shirt which she tore into four pieces. She dipped one of the newly made rags into the water and folded it into a compress which she placed on Tommy's forehead. His fingers were clenched into fists, his eyes closed and every two seconds his head would jerk, causing the rag to slide off.

Jude knelt down on the cold floor beside him and leaned forward to place her hands on his shoulders, "calm down," she said firmly as she attempted to hold him down, "Tommy. Stop it."

He didn't seem to have control of his actions, his body continuing to flinch and jump as he mumbled mostly incoherent sentences.

"You're scaring me," she whispered as she gazed down at his flushed face.

She wiped his face down with the cloth. Nothing how whoever she would return it to be re-soaked it would be warm to touch. She dripped water on his knees and wet his hair in an attempt to cool him.

"My fault," he was mumbling, a muscle in his jaw contracting as he clenched his teeth painfully, "I did it."

"I don't understand," she whispered. She put a hand to his cheek, remembering how her mother's touch would always comfort her when she was young and had a fever. His hands shot up and grabbed hers, both of his large hands wrapping tightly around her small shaking hand as he squeezed tightly, almost painfully.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, repeating the words over and over. It grew softer each time until he fell into silence. It was briefly lived however; he began to mumble incoherently again a short while later. There was a loud clap of thunder overhead and coupling that with seeing Tommy so vulnerable and un-composed… the opposite of his normal self was beginning to scare Jude out of her wits.

"I don't know what to do, Tommy," she whispered, staring at him and wishing he would return to his normal, in control self. "Do we get in the car and go look for help? I don't even know where we are or where the next hospital is."

"No hospitals. No, no, no…" 

Feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach that confirmed she was alone to deal with this situation, she once again dipped the rag into the water and began sponging his face. "Ssh," she whispered, seeing the stress and pain playing out across his features. "Calm down."

She began to sing softly, the notes filling the large room and comforting her at least, not words just soothing notes to the tune of some old lullaby she remember from her childhood. He seemed to calm a little but not much.

There was no sign of the storm abating when she glanced at her watch some half an hour later. It was nearly two am and she remembered reading some statistic that stated the most deaths occurred around that hour; something about a state of slumber and elderly being vulnerable. Tommy wasn't elderly. He was young, strong and healthy. He never smoked, rarely drank and he was strangely fond of health food and salads. At least the Tommy she had known had fit that description. What did she know of this feverish person beside her who was normally so cold she wanted to keep twenty feet from him as if he were an iceberg and she the ship avoiding what was hidden beneath the surface.

The fire was suffering and she moved away from Tommy to add some more planks of wood from the old chairs. As she returned to him she paused by the windows that looked out onto the driveway and the lawn. It was dark and all she could make out was the silhouette of their silver car a few feet in front of the building and the tops of the trees blocking out the dark navy blue sky that made up the horizon. She was about to turn back to Tommy when a flash of lightning momentarily lit the sky and offered a brief view. A chill spread through her veins as she noticed a metallic surface through a gap in the trees. It was something out of place that she didn't remember seeing when they'd arrived a few hours earlier, sitting out there intrusively and threateningly in the stormy night.

"Jude," she spun around at Tommy's desperate call. He'd pushed himself up into a sitting position successfully and his eyes were open through there was some unseeing quality about them. He hadn't seen her by the window and was trying to clamber to his feet to search her out. "You can't leave," he spoke so quickly the words were slurring together or perhaps it was that his tongue was sluggish and not forming the sounds correctly, "You don't understand."

"I'm here," she spoke calmly as she casually crossed the room and knelt down beside him, "I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't seem to hear or see her as he continued to glance about him and she reached forward, with a gentle palm against his cheek she turned his head to face her. "See?" She asked.

He grabbed her then, scarily strong arms wrapping around tightly in some strange hug-like grip. He leaned back against the wall, unable to stay upright any other way and pulled her with him until she was virtually sitting on his lap, her head held to his chest.

"Tommy, I don't like this." Feelings of claustrophobia, helplessness and frustration were swirling through her and she pushed at him with her hands but he was stronger and unyielding. "Let go," she yelled, punching at his chest, thoughts of his health no longer her primary concern.

"You can't go," he whispered into the room, a dazed expression on his face. "I wish… You can't." He hugged her to him even tighter and was confused as to the meaning of his statement.

"I can't let you go," he mumbled and she finally stopped fighting, her body relaxing against his as her mind scrambled to decode any clues in his fever induced ramblings. "I can't do it anymore… Jude… so tired. Safe… keep her… safe."

His eyes closed and she was finally able to pull away to see that he'd slipped into a deep but troubled sleep.

----

_**"Don't leave me here like this, can't hear me scream from the abyss and now I wish for you my desire… don't leave me alone 'cause I barely see at all…"**_

Jude awoke the next morning, her back aching and her entire left side feeling bruised. She opened her eyes blearily and slowly sat up. She'd been lying on the cold wooden floor, the cause for her bodies numerous complaints. Sometime during the night she must have retrieved the comforter from Tommy's trusty sack because she was tucked tightly inside it like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

Memories of the previous night came flashing back to her in snippets, none of them seeming to connect or make any sense and she shook her head, trying to literally and metaphorically repel the cobwebs in her head. 

She recalled Tommy's incessant mumblings, the small respite in the form of the sleep he'd fallen into, how he'd awoken and everything had been worse, his fever, his paranoia, the lack of sense in his words. At one point he'd run out into the backyard and hurled the car keys into the distance. Jude faintly recalled seeing them land somewhere at the end of the lawn but was too busy trying to get Tommy back inside to do anything about it. He'd closed the front door and staggered about the first floor of the house looking for things to barricade against it before she'd convinced him to return to the living room and lie down once again. She must have fallen asleep after that because it was there the memories stopped.

She glanced around the room which somehow looked starker in daylight. It was as if the previous nights and it's events had all been a dream but now it was real; the room was solid in 3-D Technicolor, mold stains, cracked floorboards and all. The one thing that still seemed unreal about the room was it's lack of another occupant. Tommy was nowhere to be seen. 

**Preview for Part 31****  
**_**"There's a fine line between love and hate…"**_

_"You're a real jerk, you know that?" she said in an icy, low voice. _

"Yeah?" he glanced back at her, amusement on his face, "So why were you coming back last night?"


	32. Chapter 31: love and hate

_We're getting so close! In fact the next chapter is the last chapter of this phase of the story (and the revelation)._

**Part 31****  
**_**"There's a fine line between love and hate…"**_

Jude couldn't decide if the house was creepier in daylight or night. She felt as if she'd stepped back in time to the 19th century and a stage coach should be pulling up out front any moment. She peered out the window at the front lawn. The car was still sitting idly by the door and half of the lawn was flooded, a placid pool of water reflecting the overcast sky above. As far as human life went; the area was deserted.

She left the lounge and slowly walked down the hallway, noting every squeaky floorboard and water stain on the wall. The bathroom was deserted, she didn't dare check the cellar and though she got the feeling someone had been there since she, the kitchen was also empty. She stepped into the room which was somehow had the best atmosphere in the house, as if it somehow still contained a warmth from a family that must have once inhabited it. She was about to turn and leave the room when she noticed the external door wasn't closed. The door had fallen shut but was just resting against the door frame rather then slotting into it. As she watched a slight breeze drifted through the small crack between the door and frame, causing the lace curtain that covered the glass window on the door to float up into the air in a ghostly manner.

Glancing over her shoulder – for what she wasn't sure, Jude slowly crossed the room. She reached the door and rested her hand on the doorknob, feeling a rush of fear. She frowned. It was just that, a rush, a thrill, not the normal dull ache.

She pulled the door open and peered out onto the back section, which until that moment had been a mystery to her. What lay before her was a pleasant surprise. Tall pine trees lined the back of the section and they rustled and swayed in the early morning breeze. A large lawn section ran back a good fifty yards down a nicely sloping hill until it met the edge of the trees. What had once been a beautiful garden lined the edge of the section and even now a few flower bushes grew independently amongst the weeds. There was a clothes line with broken wires hanging to the ground, a clear symbol of neglect and an old rotting wooden wheelbarrow to her left. And standing in the center of it all was Tommy.

"Tommy?" She called, a hand resting lightly on the doorframe as she tentatively eyed him then stepped outside. The moment her bare feet left the concrete footpath surrounding the house they sunk into the muddy grass, water squishing up between her toes and gurgling happily. She crinkled up her nose as she gazed down at her muddy feet and shook one gingerly. "Are you okay?" She asked as she approached the figure frozen in the middle of the lawn. "Tommy? You shouldn't be out here. It's cold and you're not well."

Just as she'd reached up to place a hand on his arm he slowly turned to face her. He was as white as a sheet, black rings under his eyes and his hair scruffily sticking up on end. "I was just checking the parameter," he explained with a sigh, "It looks like there's no one for miles but you never know."

There was a nagging memory at the corner of Jude's mind, demanding to be brought to light but try as she might she couldn't distinguish it from the images of Tommy's flushed face and the crashes of thunder that had surrounded the building.

"Come on, come inside," she insisted as she put a hand on his arm and tried to lead him into the house.

"Why?" he asked, shrugging her hand away, "You don't care if I get pneumonia and die." His words mimicked a statement she recalled making and his expression challenged her to argue.

"You're right," she shrugged and let her hands fall to her sides in disinterest, "I don't. But I do care that you make a phone call to your 'friends' and that my sister remains safe." She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him.

He frowned, as if not understanding her statement and then recognition dawned. "Right, that," he turned back to the tree line and she felt her indignation boiling.

"Well are you going to call?"

"I'm not due to yet," his tone was so casual that she wanted to kick and punch him for his obvious disregard of her family's safety.

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" she said in an icy, low voice.

"Yeah?" he glanced back at her, amusement on his face, "So why were you coming back last night?"

Her eyes fell to the ground as the question she'd been asking herself all note floated through the tense air between them. "Nostalgia," she finally remarked with a dismissive shrug, "_Temporary Insanity_ or perhaps paranoia that I'd end up alone out there and run into Chris. Maybe you're the lesser of two evils and I'm not the independent person I thought I was," she threw her hands about in frustration and took a few steps over to the rotten wheelbarrow. She kicked at it angrily, "take your pick."

She didn't look back at him but she just knew, as well as she knew his eyes were blue and like oceans you could get lost in, that he was smirking at her back. "Excuses, excuses…" he muttered softly. A few seconds later his footsteps faded away as he returned to the house.

----

_**"Today we carry each other…"**_

When she'd counted to ten half a dozen times, Jude slowly returned to the house. She pushed open the kitchen door, noting it squeaked it's complaint and got jammed before hitting the wall, it's hinges having sagged with age.

Tommy was angrily searching through the kitchen cupboards, slamming each in turn and causing Jude to jump from the loud bang each slam created. She tugged at the door and succeeded in closing it behind her only to turn and see Tommy put a hand to his chest and lean against the sink heavily as if in pain.

"You're not well enough for a tantrum," she pointed out calmly from her spot leaning against the door.

"Uh-huh, and what would you like for breakfast, Jude? Air, crumbs or rat droppings?"

She put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "Hmmm, hard choice…"

He coughed, his fist covering his mouth but not suppressing the horrible sound it created. Jude walked over, ignoring the hand he raised in protest of her approach and placing a hand on each of his upper arms forcibly turned him to face her. Ignoring the look he was giving her she reached up and held her hand to his forehead for a couple of seconds.

"You're still sick," she informed him as she stepped back and shrugged off his hand which had somehow came to rest on her arm. "If you're hungry I'll go get something."

He snorted, "Right, and Boyz Attack will regroup and release a heavy metal album while you win an Oscar."

She glared at him, his comment somehow still managing to bruise her ego, "Fine, we'll go without food for now but the offer still stands when your stomach is aching from hunger." She glanced out the window to the pine forest behind the house. "We're running out of firewood, I'm going to go see if I can find some." She started for the door but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I'll come with you."

She pushed his hand away, "_No_. You won't. You know I'm not going to try and run away so go lie down, stay warm and whatever you do; don't die."

----

_**"I find my light, to pass the time…"**_

Jude stood on the soft carpet of old brown Pine needles as she tiled her head back and gazed up at the tree tops with their occasional glimpse of grey sky breaking through. Her arms held up she slowly turned in a small circle, closing her eyes and embracing the feeling of open space and freedom that was washing over her. A heavy gust of wind rattled the trees and loose needles fell down around her, brushing her arms and face caressingly as they passed her and connected with the ground.

No matter how much she strained her ears the only sounds she could make out was the roar of the wind in the trees, the creaking of old branches and the occasional bird call. It was overpowering, it was beautiful, it was intoxicating.

As she thought of Tommy; the palor of his skin, his dull eyes and his utter refusal to respect how ill he had been, the task at hand forced it's way back into her mind.

She collected up a few branches that had come down in recent storms, stacking them on one arm and then set about trying to collect pine cones. The job wasn't as easy as she might have guessed as the pine cones had rose like thorns that stabbed into her hands and stuck to her skin. Eventually she balanced a few on top of the logs and left the rest to target some other unsuspecting victim.

As she crossed the large back lawn she could make out a figure standing in the kitchen doorway and for a brief moment she felt a thrill of panic but as she neared she was able to make out Tommy's familiar proud features.

"I told you to get some rest!" she called as she hurled one of the offending pine cones in his direction and smiled in satisfaction as he caught it then flinched in pain as the thorns stabbed into his hands.

"I got us some food," he explained as he eyed the small drops of blood forming on his hand.

Her eyes shot up, "And how'd you do that?"

"It would help so much," he remarked as he stepped aside so she could enter, "if you could just master this whole don't ask, don't tell policy."

**Preview for Part 32****  
**_**"Go if you want to go but stay if you want to know the way through the mess we've made…"**_

_"What about Sadie? You dated her and now you're willing to give some order to have her hurt?" They'd begun to circle one another, each pacing the room and turning, their eyes always on the other like two wild animals in a face off for dominance._

"This is dangerous," she could see he was trying to rebuild the walls that had been crumbling during their conversations and his illness the night before, "we can't do this, I can't do this."


	33. Chapter 32: Go if you want to go

_I think this chapter needed a bit more work but…_

_  
I did start this story because I wanted practice writing an action story. So it hasn't actually turned out to be an action story... at least not so far but I have hopes for part two. I have made some big mistakes (like how long the first part dragged out) but I'm still learning. Thanks for sticking by me and offering suggestions, feedback and constructive criticism._

I'm going to put the story on Hiatus until the New Year just so I can get my head around the new direction and hopefully get a bit ahead in the story before I start posting..

I do have some questions for you guys to help with writing the next part. If you were Jude: what are some of the questions you'd be wanting to ask Tommy right now? 

**Part 32****  
**_**"Go if you want to go but stay if you want to know the way through the mess we've made…"**_

"So what's with you?" Jude asked as she took a bite of her sandwich and eyed him questioningly.

He tossed another pinecone onto the fire and slowly lowered himself to the floor across from her. Even in the dim morning light the warmth of the fire lit up his features and made the entire situation almost appear warm and inviting; something she was taking great pains to remind herself wasn't true.

"And yet again, I don't follow…" he responded calmly.

"You were _really_ sick last night and now you're all hunky dory."

"Hunky dory?" He raised an eyebrow, "seriously, Harrison?"

She glared, "_Don't_ call me that, you don't get to call me that…"

He almost seemed hurt as he glanced away from her, his eyes settling on the opposite wall for a few long seconds as she took another bite of her sandwich and gazed into the fire.

"I get sick sometimes. My Social Worker used to say it was the weight of the world getting on top of me all at once after long periods of me blocking it out entirely. It's all good and fine but when it's not; it's bad. This time was different though. I think it was more then that," he shook his head, seeming lost in thought, "I think it meant something."

She picked at a loose strand on her jeans as she took in what he'd said. It was the most honest statement she'd received from him in months and she was startled by how much he'd revealed and what that meant.

"Your social worker?"

He was silent, as if he realized he'd said too much and wished he could take it back.

"Fine, don't talk…" she remarked as she picked up her soda and took a sip.

He hurled a pine cone into the fire causing sparks to explode up the chimney like a fireworks display. "Did I say anything last night? When I was sick?" He seemed nervous and she thought of all the ways she could torture him, all the things she could imply.

"'It's my fault'," she repeated, "that you were sorry, something about protecting someone. Who are you protecting, Tommy?"

He stood up suddenly, kicking at the pile of firewood that had been neatly stacked by the fire, one stick flying into the wall and the rest clattering on the hardwood floor. "I'm so sick of this," he groaned.

"You said that too," she flicked away the imaginary crumbs that had fallen on her knees then stood up too, "So why don't you stop Tommy? Just _stop_ all of this. Let me go home, call it off!"

"It's not that simple!" he snapped.

"I don't think you're trying to protect anyone but yourself," she said quietly, her arms crossing over her chest protectively as she gazed at him judgingly, "you're just looking out for number one and screw everyone else who gets trapped in your ridiculous little web."

"You're right," he remarked with a bitter smirk as he nodded at her, taking a few slow steps to cross the floor to where she was standing, "That's what I said, that's what I did. They had me and I did whatever I could to get out of the situation. And no, I didn't care one speck about some little wannabe rock star they threw into the mix."

The words stung more then a slap in the face and she felt a sting of tears in her eyes and hated herself for it. Still she returned his stony stare, refusing to be the one to give in and break eye contact. "You never cared. We covered that already. You don't need to rehash it."

"Jude," his eyes somehow seemed bluer then she'd seen in weeks, as if the ice had somehow thawed momentarily and she was seeing into their depths once again, "I didn't dare."

"What about Sadie? You dated her and now you're willing to give some order to have her hurt?" They'd begun to circle one another, each pacing the room and turning, their eyes always on the other like two wild animals in a face off for dominance.

"This is dangerous," she could see he was trying to rebuild the walls that had been crumbling during their conversations and his illness the night before, "we can't do this – _I_ can't do this."

"Do what? Be honest for once?" She threw her hands up into the air.

"The man I work for is powerful," the volume of his voice was rising, "You can't escape him. If I let you go. If I drove you back to Toronto right now; he'd send someone else to get you and you might just find they're not as sympathetic as I am."

"Sympathetic? That's a joke!" She scoffed.

"You don't _get_ it. This isn't a game," he shook his head as he spoke quickly; "I'm not getting some sick thrill out of this scenario. I want to walk away _just_ as much as you do."

"Then do!" She yelled.

"I can't!" His voice echoed the volume of hers.

An idea dawned and she paused her pacing, facing him, "What have they got on you?"

He stopped too and the room was silent for a couple of seconds. He sighed, his shoulders drooping and then he quietly answered, "Murder."

How she ended up on the floor she had no idea. Maybe he'd hit her? No, he'd been too far away. Did the roof fall? Nope, it was still intact. Was the ground moving? Not literally. She'd simply collapsed.

He crouched down in front of her but she didn't lift her eyes to meet his. "The funny thing is I don't care anymore. Three years ago when you won Instant Star and they turned up on my doorstep the night before we met… it was the most important thing in the world to keep that secret safe. I didn't know who they were or why they wanted me to get close to you and earn your trust, I didn't know how they knew what I'd done and I had no clue who you were or why any of it mattered. But they're not going to go away, Jude. I've seen what they can do and it scares me to death. I can't walk away and you can't either until we see this out. Sometimes you have to face the monster or forever be haunted."

She finally lifted her eyes slowly to look at him, not really looking into his eyes as they met. "Who'd you kill?"

He shook his head slowly, "I'm not discussing that with you. It was a decade ago and I'm not that person anymore. It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does-"

He leaned forward, his hand clamping over her mouth and his face pausing a few centimeters from her, "I am _not_ discussing it, Jude. It's buried and I am _not_ going back there."

She tried to shake his hand away as she wrenched her head and tears spilled down her cheeks. His other hand reached behind her head, digging into her hair as he gripped it and held her head still. It wasn't painful or angry but it was immobilizing. "I might as well go all the way now, huh? With Chris gone… everything's changed…" she could see the fear in his eyes. He hadn't planned these events and stepping off the clear path into unfamiliar territory scared him.

"Sadie isn't in trouble. I lied. I don't have any contacts in Toronto. I couldn't stop you from leaving last night any other way then that so I bluffed. She's fine, your family is fine," he paused, his tone had been softening with each word, "I've spent the last three years trying to be indifferent to you Jude," he shook his head as his voice lowered to a hoarse whisper, "and you never made that easy. I'm sorry that I hurt you that day I threw you into the lake and I'm sorry for all the times I was cruel. Chris was always there and I knew he couldn't be trusted. Remember that time we tried writing a dialogue scene for you in the 'White Lines' video and we discovered you couldn't act to save your life? I couldn't risk you giving me away. If Chris reported anything to the man we were working for everything would have changed. They would have taken you away from me…"

He released his grip on the back of her head and with the first gentle touch he'd given her in weeks, he gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want us both to get out of this unscathed," he whispered, "I'm not going to leave you, okay? I don't care about just covering my own tail anymore. The person I was talking about, the one I'm trying to protect… is you."

**Watch out for Untimely Betrayal Part 2: Twisted Revolution coming in January 2008!**


	34. Part two: Twisted Revolution

**Twisted Betrayal (Untimely Betrayal Follow up) Promo**

Lies can bloom and multiply like weeds. 

_"Why do I get the feeling you're keeping things from me?"_

**Secrets become distorted and magnified with time.**

_"Did you ever care about me?_

**Things are never what they seem.**

_"Who is Chris?"_

**You can't always trust the people you want to.**

_"Get this straight Tommy: I don't like you and I __don't__ trust you!"_

**He was the betrayal - now witness the revolution.**

_"I just want to wake up and find this was all a bad dream..."_

**Twisted Revolution**  
Now live at fanfiction dot net

To access the story scroll up and click on my name to be taken to my profile page; scroll through my stories (listed near the end of the page then click on 'Twisted Revolution')


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